Y^rn, 


1. 1922 


BV  3790  .D43 

Davis,  Ozora  Stearns,  1866j 

1931. 
Evangelistic  preaching 


Evangelistic  Preaching 


With  Sermon  Outlines  and  Talks 
to   Children   and   Young  People 


By 
OZORA  S.  DAVIS 

President  Chicago  Theological  Seminary 


New     York  Chicago 

Fleming     H.     Revell     Company 
London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1921,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      75    Princes    Street 


Preface 

THE  Christian  Church  in  the  modern 
world  is  still  charged,  as  it  always  has 
been,  with  one  supreme  task,  publishing  a 
message  which  is  concerned  with  nothing  less  than 
a  new  life  for  the  individual  and  society.  There 
are  many  ways  by  which  this  message  may  be  made 
known ;  but  from  the  beginning  it  has  been  chiefly 
through  the  oral  delivery  of  the  evangel  that  it 
has  been  proclaimed.  Christian  preaching  is  still 
the  compelling  engagement  of  the  Church.  The 
preacher  is  still  the  messenger  of  life  to  his  genera- 
tion. Preaching  is  difficult,  highly  technical  and 
glorious  business.  There  seems  to  be  need  of  a 
brief  manual  which  will  define  again  the  unchanged 
task  of  the  preacher  in  the  light  of  our  exacting 
and  bewildered  world,  bring  out  the  encourage- 
ments in  the  preacher's  task,  and  offer  practical 
suggestions  for  the  prosecution  of  that  distinct 
kind  of  preaching  commonly  known  as  evangel- 
istic. This  book  is  offered  as  a  word  of  encour- 
agement and  specific  counsel  to  all  those  who  are 
toiling  to  publish  the  good  news  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  and  the  new  life  in  Christ. 

O.  S.  D. 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary, 


Contents 

PART  I 

The  Theory  of  Evangelistic 

Preaching 

I.  The  Good  News  and  Its  Publication    .        9 

II.  Preaching  and  the  Preacher        .         .       22 

III.  The  Impression  and  Expression  of  the 

Good  News 35 

IV.  Every  Preacher  an  Evangelist    .        .48 

V.  The  Evangelistic  Sermon       .        .        .61-^ 

VI.  Evangelism   as  the   Organizing  Prin- 

ciple IN  Preaching     ....      78 

PART  II 
A  Program  of  Evangelistic  Preach- 
ing, WITH  Sermon  Outlines    .      85 

PART  III 

Talks  to  Children  and  Young     • 

People       .       .       .197 

PART  IV 
Special  Gatherings   .       .215 


PART   I 

The  Theory  of  Evangelistic 
Preaching 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  AND  ITS 
PUBLICATION 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  broke  upon  the 
yearning  ear  of  humanity  a  message  that 
was  so  timely,  so  assuring,  so  comforting 
that  it  was  well  named  ''  the  good  news."  It  was 
not  good  news  in  general;  it  was  specifically  and 
forever  unique ;  it  was  the  good  news.  For  every 
man,  for  all  mankind,  during  all  the  years  down 
to  the  end  of  time,  whatever  that  may  be,  and  un- 
der all  human  circumstances,  however  these  may 
change,  it  remains  the  same  exhaustless  and  won- 
derful message. 

The  men  who  first  heard  it  and  put  it  into  words 
spoke  Greek  and  they  gave  a  name  to  the  message, 
which  passed  into  Latin  letters  and  then  came  to 
us  in  the  English  word  "  evangel."  From  this  we 
derived  the  kindred  words  "  evangelistic "  and 
"  evangelize."  Then  from  another  source,  our 
own  Anglo-Saxon,  came  the  word  "  gospel," 
shorter  and  more  vital,  meaning  the  same  thing, 
"  good  news." 

How  swiftly  and  surely  words  lose  their  pristine 
and  pictorial  meaning!     Like  coins  abraded  by 

9 


10  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

constant  handling,  our  great  words  have  the  Im- 
ages rubbed  off  and  the  sharp  Hnes  in  which  they 
were  originally  minted  smoothed  down.  So  we 
have  lost  to  a  great  extent  the  precious  and  vivid 
content  of  the  word  "  gospel."  We  must  use  our 
imagination  and  picture  once  more  the  clear  scene 
that  is  involved  in  some  of  the  great  terms  of  our 
language.  Here  is  the  situation  out  of  which  the 
word  gospel  was  born.  A  battle  is  being  fought 
by  the  defenders  of  a  city  on  a  field  far  from  the 
walls  where  the  people  who  cannot  take  their  part 
in  the  conflict  wait  and  long  for  news.  The  old 
men  are  there  and  the  women  and  the  little  chil- 
dren. They  are  straining  their  eyes  as  they  watch 
the  road ;  they  are  listening  with  every  sense  attent. 
Now  out  of  the  dust,  far  off,  appears  the  figure  of 
a  runner.  He  is  bending  every  nerve  to  reach  the 
city  gates,  for  he  is  the  messenger  of  good  news. 
The  battle  has  been  won  and  the  city  is  saved.  To 
make  that  fact  known  is  worth  the  utmost  effort 
that  he  can  put  forth.  He  knows  what  it  will 
mean  to  the  waiting  people ;  so  he  spares  no  energy 
to  tell  them  the  good  news. 

The  word  "  evangelist "  represents  this  mes- 
senger. And  the  news  that  he  brings  is  the  "  evan- 
gel," or  the  good  news.  The  Christian  preacher 
IS  the  evangelist  or  the  bearer  of  good  news  to  all 
the  yearning  and  beleaguered  souls  of  men.  The 
message  that  he  brings  them  Is  his  gospel  or  evan- 
gel.   It  tells  how  the  love  of  God  has  enlisted  on 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  11 

man's  side  in  the  struggle  for  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. It  has  the  accent  of  certainty  about  it.  This 
is  not  a  guess ;  it  is  an  affirmation  that  grounds  it- 
self in  the  deepest  assurance.  It  has  the  ring  of 
joy  about  it.  The  message  is  sure  to  set  the  bells 
ringing.  If  the  messenger  is  so  enthusiastic  about 
it  that  he  pours  all  his  soul  into  the  announcement 
of  his  message,  if  sometimes  he  breaks  over  the 
conventional  forms  in  his  proclamation,  we  are 
not  surprised.  We  would  be  surprised  if  he  did 
not  do  something  of  this  sort.  Who  could  pos- 
sibly tell  men  such  truth  without  emotion?  The 
message  is  so  wonderful,  so  important,  so  packed 
with  joy ! 

This  is  the  earliest  and  the  most  vital  content 
of  the  word.  But  the  years  go  by.  The  message 
is  repeated  again  and  again,  until  the  very  words 
are  worn  thin.  Men  begin  to  change  the  message 
from  a  glad  announcement  to  a  fixed  dogma.  They 
quarrel  about  it  They  even  kill  each  other  because 
they  cannot  agree  on  the  meaning  of  the  words  or 
the  words  themselves.  The  form  in  which  the 
announcement  of  the  good  news  is  to  be  given  is 
stereotyped  into  what  is  called  a  "  sermon."  A 
science  of  sermon  structure  and  delivery  grows 
up;  it  bears  the  dismal  name  " homiletics."  The 
sermon  is  subjected  to  the  critical  treatment  of 
literary  composition  and  oral  address,  and  is  forced 
to  conform  to  the  canons  of  the  science  with  this 
hard  name.    How  can  we  keep  the  kindling  beauty 


12  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

and  the  radiant  joy  of  the  pristine  good  news, 
brought  by  the  messenger  on  the  run,  under  such 
conditions?  You  cannot  conventionalize  and 
standardize  a  thing  of  beauty  and  joy  and  spon- 
taneous expression  like  this  and  keep  it  in  its  gen- 
uine and  primitive  form.  The  preacher,  who  is 
simply  the  messenger  or  the  evangelist,  must  fight 
all  the  time  to  preserve  the  native  meaning  of  his 
words  as  he  uses  them.  He  must  constantly  use 
his  imagination  and  his  reason  in  order  to  vitalize 
the  terms  that  he  uses,  his  thought  of  his  own  task 
and  the  truth  that  he  gives  to  his  comrades  in  the 
act  of  preaching.  We  have  almost  forgotten  what 
these  great  words  "  gospel,"  '*  evangelize,"  and 
"  preach  "  do  actually  mean.  It  is  not  merely  the 
people  who  have  lost  this  clear  conception ;  but  the 
very  preachers  themselves  have  suffered  the  great 
words  to  become  hazy  and  inert  in  their  thinking. 
This  word  "  gospel  "  is  a  noble,  living  word. 

There  are  many  statements  of  the  Gospel.  Some 
are  brief  and  some  are  long.  Some  are  simple  and 
some  are  technical.  No  one  is  quite  complete. 
Even  when  they  are  united  in  one  great,  compre- 
hensive definition,  there  are  factors  that  are  left 
out.  The  good  news  is  so  wide  in  its  reach  and  so 
deep  in  its  intention,  it  is  so  full  of  vast  and  varied 
meaning,  it  is  so  rich  and  fertile  in  its  daring  affir- 
mation that  we  cannot  pack  it  all  into  a  proposi- 
tion. One  of  the  most  satisfactory  of  the  early 
statements,  because  it  was  made  by  a  man  whose 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  13 

personal  Christian  experience  was  deep  and  genu- 
ine, is  as  follows: 

"  But  all  things  are  of  God,  who  reconciled  us 
to  himself  through  Christ,  and  gave  unto  us  the 
ministry  of  reconciliation;  to  wit,  that  God  was  in 
Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  not 
reckoning  unto  them  their  trespasses,  and  having 
committed  to  us  the  word  of  reconciUation  "  (3 
Cor.  5:  18,  19). 

As  we  reflect  upon  this  passage  we  cannot  fail 
to  catch  its  exalted  vision  and  searching  impera- 
tive. It  surely  matches  the  temper  which  we  found 
in  the  earliest  figure  of  the  Gospel  and  the  evan- 
gelist. There  is  the  reflection  of  the  runner's 
urgency  and  the  people's  expectation.  Then 
there  is  something  courtly  and  imperial  about  it. 
An  ambassador  is  not  a  little  man  fussing  with  a 
little  job.  He  is  not  running  errands  or  concerned 
with  pettiness.  He  is  the  representative  of  his 
monarch.  He  stands  in  the  place  of  his  nation  or 
his  race.  When  he  speaks  the  voice  of  the  people 
is  heard.  When  he  affirms  something  the  power 
of  a  great  corporation  is  behind  him.  This  matter 
of  publishing  the  Gospel  is  royal  business,  dignified 
by  the  weight  of  regal  authority,  and  demanding 
the  utmost  power  of  a  trained  and  consecrated  per- 
sonality. It  may  call  for  deliberate  effort  of  the 
mind  and  imagination  in  order  that  a  Christian 
preacher  to-day  may  catch  the  practical  signifi- 
cance of  this  thought ;  but  it  is  most  legitimate  for 


14  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

him  to  seek  to  vitalize  the  idea  in  his  daily  work. 
If  he  will  do  so  he  will  find  that  the  old  tasks  are 
lighted  up  with  new  beauty  and  his  whole  work  is 
dignified  and  ennobled. 

The  word  "  reconciliation  "  is  a  noble  one.  It 
means  to  bring  together,  to  harmonize,  to  over- 
come estrangement.  As  we  look  either  into  our 
own  hearts  or  abroad  into  the  world  in  which  we 
must  live  so  long  as  God  has  work  for  us  to  do, 
we  know  that  there  are  discords  and  estrangements 
which  ought  to  be  set  right.  Division  and  anguish 
lie  all  around  us.  We  cannot  be  permanently 
happy  or  do  good  work  under  such  conditions. 
The  world  is  not  right.  The  soul  demands  that  it 
shall  be  made  right.  The  nobler  the  human  spirit, 
the  more  urgent  and  insistent  is  its  demand  for 
unity.  This  demand  is  not  manufactured  from 
without ;  it  arises  from  within  the  human  spirit  at 
its  best.  We  do  not  need  to  be  educated  in  order 
to  reason  this  matter  out.  We  cry  out  instinctively 
for  a  universe  that  is  harmonized  and  happy  in 
love  and  good  will.  The  most  stupendous  and 
glorious  enterprise  that  ever  has  commanded  the 
mind  and  the  active  powers  of  man  is  the  program 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  which  is  the  substance  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ.  All  dreams  of  Utopia,  all 
programs  for  social  betterment,  are  less  than  the 
message  of  a  reconciled  world  in  Jesus  Christ. 

The  reconciliation  is  not  a  change  wrought  in 
the  nature  of  God.    That  changeless  love  did  not 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  15 

call  for  any  new  yearning.  The  old  father  in  the 
parable  of  the  lost  boy  did  not  require  a  change 
of  heart  while  his  eager  eyes  were  peering  down 
the  road  hoping  to  see  the  loved  figure  of  the  re- 
turning prodigal.  But  the  boy  needed  to  be 
changed;  and  love  was  the  only  power  that  ever 
could  do  that.  The  good  news  comes  with  such 
mighty  appeal  that  it  does  actually  change  our 
hearts. 

But  the  reconciliation  that  the  good  news  pro- 
claims is  not  simply  between  man  and  God;  it  is 
also  and  most  gloriously  between  man  and  man. 
Out  of  new  and  right  relations  with  God  flow  in- 
evitably a  whole  world  of  new  relations  between 
man  and  man.  Indeed,  it  begins  with  nature  it- 
self. We  seldom  think  that  the  Gospel  has  any 
bearing  upon  the  relation  which  man  bears  to  the 
physical  world ;  but  under  the  sway  of  the  Gospel 
all  nature  comes  into  closer  relations  with  man 
and  man  with  nature.  A  Christian  is  kinder  to 
his  animals ;  he  works  harder  and  so  gets  a  larger 
return  from  his  farm ;  good  will  is  something  that 
even  the  fields  and  flocks  understand.  Then  a  new 
set  of  social  principles  unfolds  from  the  publish- 
ing and  accepting  of  the  good  news.  Set  the  Gos- 
pel at  work  in  the  worst  moral  conditions  of  a 
great  city  and  it  will  transform  vileness  into  beauty. 
Men  under  the  sway  of  the  Gospel  begin  to  adjust 
themselves  to  one  another  in  a  new  spirit  of  sacri- 
fice   and    service.     It    is    an    actual    reconcilia- 


16  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

tion  wrought  out  in  concrete  forms  of  mutual 
aid. 

The  publication  of  a  message  so  searching  and 
comprehensive  calls  for  all  the  resources  of  the 
herald,  trained  in  the  highest  possible  degree.  It 
must  be  sung  and  written  and  printed  and  preached. 
Every  possible  agency  of  publication  must  be  util- 
ized to  make  so  glorious  a  message  known.  No 
form  of  announcement  may  be  overlooked;  new 
forms  must  be  searched  out  and  utilized.  So  the 
message  must  be  put  into  word  and  action,  into 
spirit  and  program.  One  friend  must  tell  another 
about  it,  as  they  did  in  the  beginning  with  exuber- 
ant and  convincing  joy.  This  is  the  simplest  way 
in  which  to  give  publicity  to  the  good  news.  But 
this  method  is  too  slow.  The  Gospel  must  be 
brought  to  many  men  and  women  at  a  time;  and 
the  only  way  in  which  this  can  be  done  is  by  print- 
ing and  preaching.  The  press  is  a  great  pulpit 
whose  service  to  the  publication  of  the  Gospel  is 
immeasurable.  Books  and  periodicals  spread  the 
message  far  and  wide.  Every  language  used  by 
men  must  be  employed  in  order  that  the  races  may 
hear  the  message  "  each  in  his  own  tongue."  And 
then  the  assembly  must  be  utilized,  with  the  living 
speaker  present,  to  use  the  greatest  of  all  agencies 
ever  employed  to  make  truth  known,  namely  a  liv- 
ing man  speaking  home  to  the  heart  of  living  men. 

This  is  preaching.  It  is  the  one  method  that  has 
been  used  most  effectively  from  the  beginning  to 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  17 

make  the  good  news  known  to  men.  It  is  not  an 
isolated  act.  It  is  carried  on  as  a  part  of  an  order 
or  service  of  public  worship.  The  preacher  is  also 
the  man  who  leads  people  in  social  worship  near  to 
God  and  to  one  another.  It  is  inevitable  that  as 
the  centuries  have  passed  and  men  of  many  races 
and  civilizations  have  stated  the  good  news  over 
and  over,  preaching  has  grown  somewhat  complex 
and  formal.  But  it  never  has  fallen  into  a  period 
of  formality  and  lifelessness  without  the  final  ap- 
pearance of  prophetic  men  who  have  rescued  it  and 
brought  it  back  to  its  place  of  primacy  and  power. 
And  thus  the  method  of  preaching  has  vindicated 
its  right  and  authority  as  the  chief  means  of  pub- 
lishing the  good  news.  As  a  matter  of  fact  when- 
ever there  has  been  strong  preaching  the  Gospel 
is  found  to  be  exerting  its  strongest  influence  in  the 
life  of  the  age.  With  the  decline  of  preaching 
there  has  inevitably  resulted  the  falling  off  of  the 
energy  of  the  Gospel  In  its  command  over  the  peo- 
ple. And  the  restoration  of  the  good  news  to  its 
supremacy  has  been  invariably  wrought  by  the 
power  of  preaching.  The  Christian  people  have 
trusted  this  method  as  the  one  most  certain  to  make 
the  good  news  known.  There  have  been  times  of 
criticism  and  disparagement;  but  the  final  verdict 
always  has  been  in  favour  of  preaching. 

The  present  Is  such  a  time.  Preaching  Is  asked 
to  furnish  its  credentials.  Let  us  meet  the  chal- 
lenge.   We  are  sometimes  told  that  we  must  return 


18  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

to  the  simple  apostolic  method  of  personal  and  In- 
dividual contact,  by  which  the  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel  was  spread  from  person  to  person  by  the 
contagion  of  friendship  and  through  the  medium  of 
conversation.  One  disciple  of  Christ  will  bring 
another  to  the  common  Master  and  so  the  good 
news  will  be  passed  along  until  finally  the  whole 
world  will  hear  the  message.  The  persuasive 
power  of  individual  appeal  from  friend  to  friend 
is  certainly  a  mighty  influence  in  extending  any 
cause.  All  this  the  advocate  of  the  medium  of 
preaching  as  the  agency  for  publishing  the  good 
news  recognizes  and  defends.  Personal  testimony 
is  now,  however,  as  it  was  when  Jesus  lived  among 
His  earthly  friends,  the  greatest  single  agency  for 
extending  the  knowledge  of  the  good  news.  The 
preacher  standing  In  his  pulpit  and  publishing  the 
Gospel  to  a  congregation  is  only  a  witness  influenc- 
ing many  comrades  at  once  instead  of  one  at  a 
time.  Preaching  Is  simply  the  extension  of  per- 
sonal testimony  by  adding  to  the  number  of  hear- 
ers. Also  the  larger  contact  of  the  individual 
preacher  with  the  group  of  hearers  does  not  ex- 
clude the  Individual  in  contact  with  the  individual. 
On  the  contrary,  the  most  successful  preachers  of 
the  Gospel  to  large  audiences  have  also  been  the 
strongest  advocates  of  "  Individual  work  for  in- 
dividuals," knowing  that  the  two  methods  are  the 
necessary  complements  to  each  other. 

We  are  sometimes  urged  to  lay  less  stress  upon 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  19 

preaching  in  the  interests  of  publicity  for  the  Gos- 
pel through  pictorial  illustration,  printing  and  the 
distribution  of  literature.  Printing  has  been 
brought  to  such  a  high  degree  of  efficiency  as  the 
means  of  all  kinds  of  publicity,  especially  if  picto- 
rial illustration  be  included  with  it,  that  it  can  be 
used  more  than  ever  before  to  make  any  set  of  facts 
or  truths  widely  known.  And  it  is  being  employed 
in  every  sort  of  propaganda.  But  at  best  utterance 
through  the  press  lacks  that  which  is  most  power- 
ful in  preaching,  the  person  himself  speaking,  and 
that  richest  of  all  instruments  ever  devised  for  the 
expression  of  truth  and  its  impression  upon  others, 
the  human  voice.  Widely  as  the  press  is  used,  the 
promoters  of  all  movements  unite  in  their  testi- 
mony to  the  superior  power  of  the  personal  advo- 
cate or  pleader  and  are  constantly  thus  represent- 
ing their  causes  in  public  meetings.  In  the  sermon 
the  preacher  adds  himself  to  his  message ;  he  there- 
fore has  the  force  of  the  spoken  sentences  plus  his 
own  energy  and  influence.  And  the  paramount  fac- 
tor in  the  publication  of  the  Gospel  is  the  convinced 
and  convincing  preacher  himself.  So  ()reaching 
still  maintains  its  supremacy  as  the  means  of  pub- 
lishing the  Gospel.  It  uses  the  press  in  every  pos- 
sible way;  but  it  still  trusts  the  kindling  word  of 
the  preacher  supremely. 

Another  claim  merits  consideration  at  this  point. 
Many  earnest  and  sincere  critics  of  preaching  de- 
mand that  the  Gospel  shall  be  published  and  com- 


20  EVANGELISTIC  PEEAOHING 

mended  wholly  by  the  deeds  that  it  inspires.  They 
point  out  the  convincing  power  of  conduct  and  say 
truly  that  the  good  news  is  approved  by  the  fact 
that  it  makes  good  men.  They  are  impatient  with 
so  much  theory  and  debate;  they  long  for  the 
practical  proof  of  the  Gospel.  The  protest  is 
healthy  and  desirable.  The  power  of  Christian 
conduct  and  the  testimony  of  Christian  life  and 
character  in  bringing  knowledge  of  the  good  news 
to  the  world  and  leading  men  to  accept  it  are  un- 
bounded. We  must  be  on  guard  against  trusting 
the  mere  words  of  the  Gospel,  apart  from  their 
confirmation  in  life,  to  avail  in  extending  the 
knowledge  of  the  good  news  to  the  end  of  its  re- 
demptive mission.  The  searching  question  of 
Jesus  in  Luke  6 :  46  must  be  borne  constantly  in 
mind: 

"  Why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the 
things  which  I  say  ?  " 

Thus  the  testimony  of  conduct  is  convincing 
and  it  must  be  constantly  brought  into  action ;  but 
it  is  immediately  apparent  that  the  Christian  char- 
acter is  the  result  and  the  confirmation  of  hearing 
the  Christian  Gospel.  Publication  of  the  truth 
must  precede  both  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  and 
action  according  to  it.  Preaching,  therefore,  is 
the  necessary  preliminary  to  the  proof  of  the  Gos- 
pel that  is  furnished  by  life  and  character. 

Therefore  we  conclude  that  the  effective  publi- 
cation of  the  good  news  depends  upon  continuous 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  21 

and  ever  improved  preaching.  The  modern 
preacher  will  not  need  to  spend  any  time  question- 
ing the  validity  of  his  credentials.  They  have  been 
confirmed  by  almost  twenty  centuries  of  experi- 
ence. He  will  study  rather  how  he  can  improve  his 
methods  and  make  his  sermons  more  vital  and 
convincing.  If  he  discerns  clearly  the  import  of 
his  message  and  the  sources  of  power  in  his  work 
he  will  be  sure  that  the  one  supreme  factor  in  suc- 
cessful preaching  is  to  make  the  sermon  a  gospel, 
that  is,  a  real  message  laden  with  the  prophet's 
sense  of  "  burden."  No  skill  in  form  or  grace  in 
speech  can  take  the  place  of  this  quality  in  the 
sermon.  It  must  be  dominantly  evangelistic,  that 
is,  true  In  spirit  and  explicit  in  statement  so  that  it 
will  publish  in  some  fuller  form  and  more  con- 
vincing appeal  the  good  news  of  the  reconciliation 
in  Christ. 


11 

PREACHING  AND  THE  PREACHER 

AS  preaching  has  gone  on  from  century  to 
century  it  has  inevitably  become  complex. 
It  has  developed  a  technique  and  certain 
standards  have  gradually  been  established.  But 
the  outstanding  factor  in  it  all  is,  as  it  always  has 
been,  the  personality  of  the  preacher.  That  is 
what  makes  the  sermon  so  radically  different  from 
the  essay  or  the  scientific  lecture.  The  writer's  per- 
sonality is  not  apparent  in  the  essay  or  poem.  In 
the  lecture  the  subject  dominates  everything.  But 
in  the  sermon  the  man  speaking  is  so  central  and 
potent  that  in  a  certain  sense  the  sermon  is  the 
man.  The  sermon  is  truth  passing  through  the 
preacher's  personal  experience,  interpreted  by  it 
and  enforced  by  it.  He  imputes  himself  in  all  his 
statements.  This  is  why  the  hearer  so  often  can- 
not tell  at  the  end  so  much  in  detail  what  he  has 
heard;  even  the  text  may  be  lost  soon  from  his 
memory;  but  he  is  sure  that  on  a  certain  occasion 
he  saw  a  man  who  was  so  sure  of  a  truth  which  he 
was  ardent  to  impart  that  he  spent  his  very  self  in 
making  it  clear  and  forceful.  This  point  may  ap- 
pear more  clearly  If  we  analyze  briefly  the  ele- 
ments that  enter  into  preaching. 

22 


PEEACHING  AND  THE  PEEACHEB   23 

The  earliest  Christian  preaching  was  simple, 
positive  testimony.  Turn  to  the  "  sermon "  of 
Peter  reported  in  Acts  2:  14-36.  In  the  strict 
sense  of  the  word,  as  it  has  developed  its  full  mean- 
ing in  the  course  of  time,  this  is  not  a  sermon.  It 
is  primarily  the  giving  of  testimony.  Peter  and 
his  comrades  had  seen  and  known  something ;  they 
told  others  about  it.  There  was  no  wavering  in 
their  minds.  They  went  into  the  witness-box  and 
gave  their  evidence  clearly  and  with  complete  as- 
surance. They  were  not  primarily  interested  in 
argument.  They  wanted  to  tell  what  they  knew. 
Their  testimony  was  so  definite,  so  clear,  so  con- 
vincing that  hundreds  and  thousands  believed  the 
message  on  the  ground  of  their  witness.  Men 
could  not  help  believing  the  witness  of  experience 
then ;  they  cannot  fail  to  accept  it  now.  Straight 
forward  affirmation,  on  the  ground  of  somethin' 
that  is  positively  sure  in  the  experience  of  some  or 
else  always  carries  conviction. 

This  is  a  permanent  factor  in  preaching.  The 
modern  preacher  will  not  often  cast  his  evidence 
into  sentences  whose  subject  is  the  first  personal 
pronoun.  That  does  not  mean  that  his  sermon  will 
not  be  based  on  testimony.  His  consciousness  of 
the  fact  that  he  is  a  witness  will  form  the  back- 
ground of  all  his  thought.  It  will  charge  the  prep- 
aration of  his  sermon  with  the  temper  and  accent 
of  affirmation.  He  may  not  say  the  words  aloud 
as  he  works ;  but  his  mind  will  all  the  time  be  de- 


24  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

daring  stoutly.  This  is  true;  I  know  it;  I  have 
proved  it.  We  often  ask  why  so  many  sermons 
seem  to  be  weak  in  their  appeal  and  why  a  minister 
is  sometimes  languid  in  his  work.  It  is  primarily 
because  the  sermon  does  not  ring  with  the  accent 
of  confidence  and  the  minister  has  not  confirmed 
his  message  in  his  own  experience  before  he  an- 
nounced it  in  the  pulpit.  The  good  news  is  still 
good  news.  When  the  preacher  is  more  sure  of 
this  than  he  is  of  any  other  fact  he  will  fill  his 
sermon  with  happy  and  whole-hearted  testimony 
to  the  truth  which  has  found  him  and  by  which  he 
is  himself  living  victoriously. 

Testimony,  however,  soon  passed  into  another 
stage  of  development  in  early  preaching.  As  men 
were  convinced  of  the  truth  in  the  good  news  of 
reconciliation  in  Christ  they  discovered  that  they 
had  entered  into  a  life  and  experience  of  such 
range  and  richness  that  they  needed  to  spend  all 
their  lives  in  learning  what  was  involved  in  the  good 
news.  Thus  arose  the  ministry  of  teaching.  When 
any  one  entered  into  the  life  of  personal  loyalty  to 
Christ  he  understood  why  the  earliest  followers  of 
the  Master  were  called  disciples  or  "  learners."  He 
discovered  that  when  he  accepted  the  ruling  mo- 
tives of  Jesus  and  made  them  his  the  whole  world 
required  re-valuation.  The  matter  could  not  be 
understood  in  a  day.  He  must  ask  those  who 
knew  more  than  he  to  tell  him  what  they  had 
learned  and  known.    He  must  try  to  state  the  great 


PEEACHING  AND  THE  PBEACHER   25 

truth  to  his  own  mind  and  to  the  intelligence  of 
others.  That  is,  the  whole  truth  as  found  in  Christ 
must  be  deeply  studied ;  a  new  kind  of  experience, 
briefly  described  as  the  experience  of  God  in  Christ, 
must  be  interpreted  and  given  some  kind  of  an 
orderly  statement  so  that  others  could  understand 
and  appropriate  it.  This  involved  teaching  in  its 
amplest  form  and  its  deepest  import. 

Teaching  is  still  an  integral  part  of  the  preacher's 
work.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  sermon  is  a 
lecture.  It  is  something  distinct  and  decidedly 
more.  Yet  every  sermon  has  in  it  to  some  extent 
a  teaching  purpose.  The  good  news  calls  for  proc- 
lamation; but  it  also  must  be  expressed  in  many 
forms  and  therefore  instruction  is  essential  to  the 
full  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  Therefore  the 
preacher  himself  must  be  a  clear  thinker  and  a 
hard  worker  in  the  field  of  Christian  theology.  It 
is  quite  common  for  ministers  to  fall  in  with  the 
current  disparagement  of  theology.  But  what  his 
appropriate  science  is  to  the  botanist,  the  astron- 
omer or  the  social  worker,  that  theology  is  to  the 
preacher.  It  is  the  systematic  statement  of  the 
comprehensive  truth  in  the  good  news.  This  must 
be  not  only  an  object  of  respect  but  a  subject  of 
study  on  the  part  of  the  preacher.  It  is  no  sign 
of  superiority  or  cleverness  to  affirm  that  one  is 
innocent  of  the  great  science  which  has  claimed 
the  love  and  loyalty  of  many  of  the  greatest  minds 
of  the  world.     The  preacher  must  know  how  to 


26  EVAITGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

teach  as  well  as  to  exhort.  He  still  must  be  "  apt 
to  teach."  We  shall  discuss  this  more  fully  in 
Chapter  V. 

There  is  still  another  factor  in  the  process  of 
preaching  for  which  it  is  difficult  to  find  a  name. 
Perhaps  the  best  word  to  use  is  passion.  Preach- 
ing is  a  flame,  an  insight,  a  forth-telling.  It  lays 
hold  of  the  deeps  within  us  and  it  speaks  to  the 
deeps  in  others.  It  is  a  something  that  suffers  and 
yearns  and  trembles.  This  is  the  element  in 
preaching  that  least  admits  of  formal  treatment  or 
stable  classification.  It  is  reckless  in  a  certain 
sense.  It  breaks  out  into  new  forms.  It  defies 
the  laws  that  we  lay  down.  It  occasionally  uses 
the  unusual  form  of  the  sermon  with  such  power 
that  it  seems  as  if  the  way  had  been  found  at  last 
to  proclaim  the  Gospel  with  utter  success ;  and  then 
some  one  else  tries  to  do  the  same  thing  and  fails 
miserably.  Thus  there  is  something  elusive  in  the 
great  mood  which  we  cannot  classify  or  confine. 
Under  the  spell  of  the  prophetic  mood  the  preacher 
does  not  think  or  feel  so  much  as  he  sees.  He 
finds  that  his  mind  is  rushing  under  the  thrust  or 
drive  of  a  power  that  he  dimly  understands  but  In 
response  to  which  he  feels  great  joy  and  power. 
He  has  attained  the  open  vision  and  arrived  at  the 
direct  grasp  of  truth.  The  vagueness  of  this  de- 
scription grows  out  of  the  elusiveness  of  the  sub- 
ject; but  every  preacher  knows  the  reality  and 
power  of  this  elevation  of  spirit  and  release  of  in- 


PEEACHING  AND  THE  PEEACHEE   27 

tellectual  and  emotional  energy  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  impassioned  glow  of  insight. 

We   know   that  this   experience   came   to   the 
prophets.     It  is  written  large  in  the  precious  re- 
mains of  their  words  and  work.     It  is  easy  to  dis- 
cern it  in  the  personality   of  Isaiah.     When  it 
comes  to  ourselves  and  our  modern  world  we  are 
less  ready  to  believe  that  we,  in  our  plain  pulpit, 
among  the  people  who  know  us  so  well,  may  know 
the  lift  and  glory  of  the  prophetic  insight  and 
power  to  proclaim  what  we  have  seen.     We  need 
not  doubt  it,  however.     We  cannot  ring  up  this 
royal  servant  and  have  him  wait  on  us  at  com- 
mand.    There  are  no  known  methods  by  which  to 
force  the  advent  of  lofty  vision  and  flaming  speech. 
This  is  an  angel  visitor.     There  are  certain  ways, 
however,  in  which  we  may  so  prepare   for  his 
royal  coming  that  he  may  not  be  delayed  through 
any  fault  of  ours.    Jesus  showed  what  these  are  in 
His  wonderful  promise,  "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in 
heart:  for  they  shall  see  God."     We  cannot  per- 
form mechanical  exercises  that  will  insure  the  com- 
ing of  the  holy  passion.     But  we  can  keep  our 
hearts  gentle  and  our  souls  keyed  to  good  will. 
Then  at  least  the  flame  will  not  be  blown  out.    This 
is  the  prophetic  glow  and  leap  which  makes  preach- 
ing, under  its  sway,  the  noblest,  happiest  engage- 
ment which  can  command  the  spirit  of  man. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  task  of  preaching  is 
not  the  simple  work  that  it  might  appear  at  first 


28  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING^ 

sight  to  be.  It  is  necessary  not  only  to  have  all  the 
factors  that  enter  into  the  complex  action  present, 
but  also  to  have  them  preserved  in  their  right  bal- 
ance. A  sermon  must  not  be  too  dogmatic,  too 
didactic,  too  emotional.  It  must  be  like  a  sym- 
phony, balanced  and  controlled  in  full  and  chas- 
tened harmony. 

The  chief  factor,  however,  is  the  personality  of 
the  preacher.  The  truth  must  be  transmitted 
through  personality.  We  have  repeated  this  so 
often  because  the  truth  is  so  often  forgotten.  The 
conviction  and  experience  of  the  preacher  are  both 
absolutely  necessary  to  the  true  sermon  and  to 
effective  preaching.  Therefore  at  this  point  arises 
the  great  question,  How  deeply  has  the  preacher 
himself  experienced  the  transforming  power  of  the 
Gospel  ?  And  on  the  basis  of  this  experience  how 
valid  and  tenacious  is  his  faith  in  the  power  of  the 
Gospel  to  do  for  others  and  for  the  whole  world 
what  it  has  done  for  him?  It  is  immediately  ap- 
parent that  this  involves  something  more  than  an- 
intellectual  assent  to  a  set  of  propositions.  The 
kind  of  confidence  which  we  are  now  discussing 
arises  from  the  consent  of  a  man's  whole  being  to 
something  which  he  has  tried  and  found  true  in  his 
daily  life.  The  multiplication  table  never  stood  by 
him  with  help  when  he  was  in  danger  of  being 
caught  by  evil;  it  never  comforted  him  when  he 
was  sorely  stricken  with  grief.  But  the  Gospel  has 
done  all  this  and  more  for  any  man  who  preaches 


PEEAOHING  AND  THE  PEEAOHER   29 

it  with  power.  As  Rev.  Albert  J.  Lyman,  himself 
a  great  preacher,  said,  "  Preaching  is  not  only  an 
*  art ';  it  is  an  '  incarnation.'  "  When  the  Gospel 
actually  lives  in  a  man  then  he  can  preach  a  living 
gospel.  The  man  who  himself  knows  the  redemp- 
tive love  and  power  of  Christ  will  never  need  to 
question  his  credentials.  That  which  the  good 
news  has  done  for  him  he  knows  it  will  do  for 
other  men.  His  message  has  not  lost  its  power 
and  his  Master  still  lives. 

Therefore  preparation  for  Christian  preaching 
is  as  wide  and  deep  as  the  preacher's  life;  indeed,  it 
is  essentially  just  this,  the  preparation  of  the 
preacher  himself.  On  the  academic  side  it  in- 
volves the  severest  and  most  constant  thought  and 
study.  No  greater  mistake  could  be  made  than  to 
disparage  or  discontinue  study  and  reflection  and 
constructive  thought.  One  of  the  reasons  why 
ministers  fail  and  evangelists  do  not  "  last "  is  be- 
cause they  have  stopped  thinking  and  taken  to 
shouting.  These  are  harsh  words;  but  the  situa- 
tion warrants  them.  Any  preacher  who  thinks 
that  he  can  be  safe  and  not  use  all  his  mental 
powers  to  their  highest  degree  has  signed  his  own 
resignation  letter  in  advance.  The  Christian  pul- 
pit in  America  to-day  needs  a  mighty  revival  of 
clear,  fearless  and  continuous  study  and  thought. 
It  is  a  tragedy  to  see  a  minister  go  to  seed  mentally. 

Then  there  is  the  emotional  culture  of  person- 
ality which  is  imperative  if  the  good  news  is  to  be 


30  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

given  with  power.  The  message  is  beautiful.  So 
is  the  life  that  it  inspires.  Too  often  the  preacher 
becomes  so  engrossed  with  the  details  of  his  work 
that  he  fails  to  lay  his  spirit  open  to  the  loveliness 
of  the  universe.  The  preacher's  life  is  a  quest  for 
beauty.  All  ugly  things  must  be  left  out  so  far  as 
they  are  not  necessary  to  the  service  that  he  must 
render  to  his  community  and  generation.  To  give 
space  to  mean  and  petty  ideas  and  purposes  in  life 
is  to  make  ourselves  dusty  attics  where  spiders  spin 
instead  of  the  sunny  rooms  where  all  beauty  is 
present  with  love  and  joy.  We  must  not  fail  to 
love  loveliness  if  we  are  to  preach  a  gospel  that  is 
concerned  with  the  beauty  of  holiness. 

On  the  public  and  social  side  of  the  preacher's 
life  must  be  cultivated  the  widest  range  of  sym- 
pathy and  deepest  relation  with  all  aspects  of  our 
bewildering  modern  life.  The  good  news  is  a  so- 
cial message.  It  comes  into  intimate  relations 
with  every  phase  of  human  endeavour.  The 
preacher  cannot  give  his  message  with  success  un- 
less deeply  and  honestly  he  loves  "  folks  "  and  is 
glad  to  enter  into  their  loves  and  sorrows  with  true 
appreciation.  The  term  "  good  mixer  "  has  been 
over-worn;  but  it  still  represents  one  of  the  most 
important  characteristics  of  the  preacher.  He  can- 
not stand  in  his  high  church  steeple  to  throw  down 
the  truth  one  day  in  seven.  The  measure  of  his 
happy  and  helpful  mingling  with  men  is  the  degree 
of  his  effectiveness  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ. 


PEEACHING  AND  THE  PEEACHER   31 

Therefore  the  culture  of  the  social  sympathies  and 
graces  of  manner  is  imperative. 

All  these  are  less,  however,  than  the  one  domi- 
nant factor  in  the  preparation  of  the  preacher, 
which  is  the  real  preparation  of  the  sermon.  We 
return  to  its  discussion.  Preaching  is  a  personal 
message.  No  spring  will  rise  higher  than  its 
source.  The  message  must  have  behind  it  the 
preacher's  absolutely  genuine  and  moving  personal 
experience  of  the  reality  and  power  of  the  Gospel. 
The  Gospel  has  something  to  do  in  the  life  and  for 
the  character  of  the  preacher  himself  before  he  is 
prepared  to  do  his  best  work  in  the  publication  of 
the  good  news  as  the  messenger  of  his  Master. 

The  objection  is  often  met  at  this  point:  How 
can  one  who  has  grown  up  in  a  Christian  home 
and  has  never  passed  through  the  radical  change  of 
an  experience  of  "  conversion,"  as  it  is  generally 
described  in  the  language  of  the  mission  hall,  have 
this  keen  sense  of  the  message  and  the  urgency  of 
the  Gospel.     It  cannot  be  manufactured. 

The  only  reply  to  this  is  something  as  follows: 
The  external  conditions  of  the  experience  of  con- 
version are  manifold.  There  are  the  deep  and 
revolutionary  changes:  there  are  the  equally  deep 
but  evolutionary  changes.  It  is  possible  to  turn 
around  by  swinging  through  so  wide  a  circle  so 
gradually  that  one  is  unconscious  of  the  slow 
change  of  direction.  It  is  also  possible  to  turn 
around  at  such  an  acute  angle  that  everything  is 


32  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHmG 

upset.  If  any  one  who  has  come  into  the  Christian 
life  by  the  gradual  processes  of  Christian  nurture 
will  carefully  revive  his  memories  and  make  an  in- 
ventory of  his  experiences  he  will  find  that  he 
comes  out  just  where  the  subject  of  the  more  sud- 
den and  dramatic  change  arrives.  Both  are  con- 
scious of  a  personal  loyalty  and  a  glowing  love  for 
Christ,  the  Saviour  and  Lord.  So  there  is  no  ex- 
ception to  the  statement  that  preachers  of  both 
types  of  experience  have  the  basis  laid  for  their 
preaching  in  the  fact  that  there  has  been  something 
done  for  them  of  supreme  value  by  the  Gospel. 

Therefore  every  Christian  preacher  must  re- 
peatedly search  his  own  soul  and  cultivate  his  own 
inner  life  with  Christ  in  God.  If  that  fails  all 
*' methods''  will  be  utterly  futile.  Nothing  can 
be  learned  out  of  a  book  or  in  a  conference  that 
will  take  the  place  of  this  personal  experience  and 
conviction.  The  true  sermon  does  not  come  into 
being  under  the  study  lamp  alone.  It  derives  its 
life  and  power  from  the  deep  wells  of  the  preach- 
er's profound  knowledge  of  the  reality  of  the 
Gospel  as  he  unites  his  life  with  Christ  in  loving 
surrender  and  happy  service. 

Let  us  look  at  the  matter  once  more.  Here  is 
the  world  in  bondage  to  sin  and  held  under  cap- 
tivity to  injustice,  hate  and  lust.  Is  there  anything 
that  can  emancipate  this  world  from  the  horrible 
situation  in  which  it  is  involved  ?  The  Gospel  of 
Christ  claims  to  be  able  to  do  just  this  and  to  do  it 


PEEACHING  AND  THE  PEEACHER   33 

successfully  whenever  it  is  tried.  The  preacher  is 
supposed  to  believe  this — to  believe  it  to  the  tips  of 
his  toes,  with  such  utter  faith  that  he  is  willing  to 
pledge  his  whole  life  to  the  truth  of  the  proposition. 
Do  we  believe  it?  The  doctor  trusts  his  remedy. 
The  surgeon  believes  in  his  operation.  An  advo- 
cate has  confidence  in  the  justice  of  his  cause.  Is 
the  preacher  "  dead  sure  "  of  his  message  ?  It  is 
charged  that  the  modern  pulpit  is  remote  from  life 
and  that  much  preaching  is  perfunctory.  If  this 
is  so,  what  is  the  reason?  Lack  of  blazing  con- 
viction on  the  part  of  the  preacher,  first  of  all.  As 
the  preacher  looks  into  his  own  heart,  into  the 
needy  lives  of  the  people  in  the  parish,  into  the 
nation  and  abroad  into  the  vast  world,  he  must  be 
sure,  beyond  any  hesitation  or  doubt,  absolutely 
sure,  that  he  has  the  message  and  the  power  that 
will  bring  man  and  God,  and  man  and  man  per- 
fectly together.  This  Gospel,  the  modern  preacher 
must  know  as  clearly  as  Paul  knew  it,  is  the  very 
**  power  of  God."  When  he  reaches  that  point 
he  is  the  master  of  his  pulpit,  at  least  so  far  as  the 
initial  energy  for  his  work  is  concerned.  He  must 
do  more  than  merely  to  be  sure  of  this.  He  must 
yearn  and  pray  and  toil  terribly.  But  he  cannot, 
he  simply  cannot,  fail  in  the  end  because  he  is 
working  with  the  unvanquished  and  unconquerable 
purposes  of  God. 

Every  preacher  knows  what  it  is  to  have  his  life 
grow  stale  and  to  see  the  visions  fade.     Then  it  is 


34  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

time  to  come  back  and  to  renew  convictions  and 
certainties  in  a  fresh  experience  of  the  Gospel. 
Think  it  through ;  respond  to  it  with  the  glow  of  a 
deep  affection;  do  something  with  it  by  means  of 
a  practical  program.  Preachers  must  let  the  Gospel 
do  more  for  them  in  order  that  they  may  do  more 
for  the  Gospel.  When  the  truth  has  wrought  in 
us  we  shall  be  able  to  "  energize  "  well  in  the 
community  for  the  truth.  Open  your  life  more 
fully  to  the  influence  of  Christ  by  putting  all  evil 
and  selfish  thoughts  out  of  it.  The  more  we  think 
about  Him,  study  His  teaching,  imagine  Him  as  He 
actually  lived  with  men,  and,  chiefly,  as  we  yield 
ourselves  to  His  service,  the  more  we  shall  be 
brought  into  an  experience  of  Christ's  reality  and 
power  that  will  fortify  us  in  our  moments  of 
weakness  and  give  us  a  message  and  a  conviction 
against  which  no  attack  of  denial  or  scorn  will  be 
able  to  prevail. 


Ill 

THE  IMPRESSION  AND  EXPRESSION  OF 
THE  GOOD  NEWS 

FOUR  phases  of  the  process  of  preaching  we 
shall  study  briefly  in  this  chapter.  They 
must  be  understood  in  their  right  relations 
by  any  one  who  is  to  preach  the  good  news  success- 
fully in  the  modern  age. 

The  first  is  the  impression  of  the  good  news  upon 
the  preacher.  This  has  been  considered  at  such 
length  in  the  previous  chapter  that  we  only  revert 
to  it  again  here.  The  Gospel  must  have  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  whole  life  of  the  preacher 
before  he  can  effectively  impress  it  upon  others. 
It  must  be  the  greatest  truth  he  knows,  the  noblest 
engagement  to  which  he  can  possibly  dedicate  him- 
self. Thus  the  Gospel  must  have  been  impressed 
upon  his  very  spirit.  .  It  must  have  laid  hold  on  the 
deepest  springs  of  his  action ;  it  must  be  translated 
into  motives;  it  must  shape  the  major  program 
of  the  preacher's  life.  No  man  who  goes  into  the 
pulpit  merely  because  he  is  interested  in  what  he  is 
going  to  do  or  say  there,  or  because  he  enjoys  the 
music,  or  because  he  likes  the  stately  order  of  a 

35 


36  EVANGELISTIC  PKEACHING 

service,  will  be  a  preacher.  But  something  must 
have  been  impressed  upon  him  so  deeply  that  he  is 
under  the  spell  of  its  mighty  urgency  and  feels  that 
he  absolutely  must  do  something  about  it.  There 
lies  the  source  of  his  power.  It  is  the  drive  and 
the  compulsion  derived  from  a  commanding  truth. 
It  is  no  ground  for  boasting  or  claim  to  glory  when 
a  man  upon  whom  the  good  news  has  been  so 
deeply  and  vitally  impressed  seeks  to  preach  it,  or 
to  express  it.  Indeed,  he  could  not  do  anything 
else  and  be  true  to  the  deepest  that  is  in  him.  Paul 
states  this  fact  in  one  of  those  little  revelations  of 
himself  that  he  gives  occasionally  in  his  letters: 
"  For  if  I  preach  the  gospel,  I  have  nothing  to 
glory  of ;  for  necessity  is  laid  upon  me ;  for  woe  is 
unto  me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel"  (1  Cor. 
9:  16). 

Therefore  we  pass  to  the  expression  of  the  good 
news  by  the  preacher.  He  must  do  it.  There  is 
no  option  about  it  on  his  part.  When  he  is  once 
sure  that  here  is  something  that  has  the  power  in 
it  to  save  the  world  he  cannot  be  either  quiet  or 
calm  about  it.  But  note  the  source  of  the  urgency. 
It  is  not  in  response  to  a  command  laid  upon  him 
from  without  by  a  Sovereign  that  the  preacher 
publishes  the  good  news.  His  constraint  is  from 
within.  It  springs  from  his  convictions  and  his 
love.  As  Peter  and  John  put  it  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  days  of  Christian  testimony,  "  Whether 
it  is  right  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hearken  unto  you 


IMPEESSION  AND  EXPRESSION         37 

rather  than  unto  God,  judge  ye:  for  we  cannot  but 
speak  the  things  which  we  saw  and  heard  "  (Acts 
4:  19,  20). 

The  impression  made  by  Christ  upon  a  disciple 
to-day  is  not  produced  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  His 
flesh  by  contacts  in  the  realm  of  physical  life.  It 
is  none  the  less  personal  and  real.  While  it  is  true 
that  the  vast  majority  of  our  impressions  are  re- 
ceived through  the  physical  organs,  there  are  many 
which  come  to  us  in  delicate  and  subtle  ways. 
Christ  is  living  in  our  world.  He  is  near  us.  He 
touches  us.  Whittier  was  not  writing  something 
that  had  no  actual  meaning  to  him  when  he  sang: 

"  We  touch  Him  in  life's  throng  and  press, 
And  we  are  whole  again." 

The  expression  of  this  experience  is  a  great  and 
beautiful  and  rewarding  task.  Preaching  is  not  an 
engagement  to  be  treated  lightly.  When  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  is  appointed  ambassador  to 
Great  Britain  he  does  not  esteem  it  an  empty 
honour.  It  is  a  high  privilege.  It  calls  out  the  best 
that  is  in  him.  He  goes  to  the  court  of  Great 
Britain  conscious  of  his  responsibility  and  prepared 
to  represent  his  country  well. 

No  less  a  sense  of  joy  and  privilege  should  mark 
the  temper  and  the  work  of  the  ambassador  of 
Christ  to  the  community  where  he  preaches.  This 
is  not  mere  rhetoric.  It  is  solid  fact  and  there  are 
thousands  of  preachers,  from  the  day  of  St.  Paul 


38  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

to  this  very  moment,  who  have  proved  the  reality 
and  power  of  this  conception  of  the  preacher's  life 
and  work. 

But  let  us  not  shut  up  the  expression  of  the  good 
news  to  the  sermon  alone.  That  would  be  to  deny 
the  value  of  some  of  the  chief  agencies  for  publish- 
ing the  good  news.  The  whole  order  of  worship  is 
the  affirmation  of  the  Gospel.  There  is  not  a  sin- 
gle item  of  the  service  that  fails  in  some  way  to  set 
forth  or  emphasize  some  fact  in  the  message. 
Scripture,  hymns,  prayers,  offerings,  all  unite  to 
express  the  good  news  to  the  people.  And  yet 
when  all  this  is  admitted.  It  remains  clear  that  the 
sermon  itself  is  the  chief  form  of  expression  into 
which  the  preacher  casts  his  message. 

Yet  there  is  a  determining  background  that  we 
must  not  fail  to  appreciate.  It  Is  the  whole  spirit 
of  the  preacher.  There  is  something  magnetic,  as 
it  were,  about  one  who  is  giving  oral  expression  to 
a  truth.  And  if  he  believes  it,  if  he  Is  wholly  sure 
of  it,  there  will  be  a  sort  of  confirmatory  bearing 
about  him  which  the  people  will  discern  and  which 
will  help  his  message  In  ways  that  he  never  will 
know.  For  somehow  the  truths  that  we  do  believe 
through  and  through  get  a  sort  of  audience  even 
when  we  express  them  poorly.  And  when  they  are 
set  forth  In  clear  and  cogent  fashion  the  conviction 
with  which  we  hold  the  truth  we  declare  takes  on 
added  strength. 

Therefore  the  modern  preacher  will  work  with 


IMPEESSION  AND  EXPEESSION  39 

every  possible  medium  in  order  that  he  may  express 
the  message  clearly.  He  will  study  the  proposition 
of  his  sermon  until  it  is  clear  as  daylight  to  his 
mind.  It  is  said  that  the  secret  of  Lincoln's  power 
with  a  jury  lay  in  the  clearness  with  which  he  ad- 
dressed his  plea  to  them.  In  preparing  for  this  it 
was  his  custom  to  reduce  his  case  to  a  series  of 
propositions.  Every  one  of  these  he  went  over 
again  and  again  until  there  was  not  an  unnecessary 
or  meaningless  word  in  a  sentence.  He  imagined 
himself  in  the  place  of  the  jury  and  convinced  him- 
self first  of  all.  He  arranged  his  propositions  until 
they  were  so  ordered  that  they  led  from  one  to  an- 
other and  reached  a  convincing  climax.  This  per- 
suasive outline  was  filled  out  as  the  occasions 
demanded;  but  it  was  back  there  as  the  sup- 
porting skeleton  of  his  plea  and  he  never  re- 
garded as  lost  the  time  and  diligent  study  put 
upon  it. 

The  preacher  will  work  hard  on  his  literary  ex- 
pression of  the  good  news.  The  right  and  beauti- 
ful word  is  necessary  to  clothe  the  clear  thought. 
We  are  sometimes  told  that  the  preacher  may  trust 
the  Lord  to  fill  his  mouth  if  only  he  will  open  it. 
But  on  the  whole  it  is  the  man  who  has  studied 
hardest  and  worked  most  diligently  whom  the  Lord 
can  use  best  as  His  messenger.  The  English  lan- 
guage is  too  noble  and  rich  to  be  treated  with  the 
dishonour  to  which  some  preachers  subject  it.  It 
i$  the  instrument  for  the  oral  expression  of  the 


40  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

good  news  and  it  ought  to  be  handled  with  more 
care  than  the  astronomer  bestows  upon  his  tele- 
scope. 

And  in  the  same  way  the  preacher  will  be  careful 
and  earnest  in  the  use  he  makes  of  every  item  of 
the  service.  Even  the  little  details  of  his  own 
dress  and  manner  are  important  in  order  that  there 
may  be  nothing  but  commendation  for  his  message 
deriving  from  the  whole  effort  to  deliver  it. 
Hymns  that  harmonize  with  the  service  are  de- 
manded, not  merely  for  the  artistic  finish  of  it,  but 
because  through  them  some  phase  of  the  good  news 
will  be  expressed. 

We  come  next  to  the  impression  of  the  message 
upon  the  group  or  the  congregation.  This  opens 
up  a  whole  new  field  of  study  which  sometime  will 
be  carried  out  to  a  still  greater  degree  of  thorough- 
ness ;  we  have  only  made  a  beginning  in  our  study 
of  the  pyschological  factors  involved  in  preaching. 
As  we  come  to  know  more  of  the  way  in  which  the 
minds  of  many  individuals  react  or  respond  to  an 
appeal  to  a  group  rather  than  to  an  individual,  we 
shall  learn  better  how  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  such 
a  way  that  it  will  be  forcefully  impressed  upon  the 
people. 

There  are  certain  principles,  however,  which  are 
clear  and  which  the  messenger  of  the  good  news 
can  use  with  skill  to  increase  the  impressive  power 
of  his  gospel.  Among  those  principles  are  the 
following: 


IMPEESSION  AND  EXPEESSION         41 

The  message  must  be  of  such  a  character  and  it 
must  be  given  in  such  a  way  that  it  will  make  con- 
nections with  that  which  the  hearers  already  know 
and  fit  in  with  that  which  they  are  already  doing. 
Otherwise  it  will  be  so  remote  from  them  that  they 
will  see  no  meaning  in  it  all,  or  else  will  regard  it 
only  as  interesting  theory  but  will  not  adjust  it  to 
their  habitual  activities.  This  is  what  we  call 
either  vital  relation  or  remoteness.  And  the  Gos- 
pel sermon  must  not  be  remote  from  life ;  it  must 
make  vital  connection  with  the  real  world  where 
the  people  think  and  work.  Preaching  has  been 
too  much  concerned  with  mansions  in  the  skies  and 
not  enough  with  cottages  on  earth.  All  this  must 
be  changed. 

Then  the  Gospel  as  a  message  of  new  life  must 
be  presented  in  such  a  way  that  it  will  not  be  un- 
reasonable. It  must  be  clear  and  appealing  and 
have  a  strong  factor  of  common  sense  in  it. 
Hearers  are  often  carried  quite  away  by  high 
flights  of  oratory.  It  is  an  interesting  spectacle  to 
watch  a  fervid  speaker  take  a  captive  audience  into 
camp.  And  it  is  painfully  interesting  to  watch  the 
slipping  away  of  that  enthusiasm  and  applause. 
Men  often  clap  their  hands  at  a  big  noise;  they 
generally  sit  silently  under  the  influence  of  great 
thoughts.  There  is  no  use  shouting,  either  in  the 
pulpit  or  "  all  over  God's  heaven/'  with  the  idea 
that  it  is  going  to  make  a  deep  impression  on  men. 
In  the  end  it  is  the  clear,  sensible  and  strong  mes- 


42  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

sage  that  carries  weight  and  drives  home  to  the 
hearts  of  the  people. 

Then  the  present  value  of  the  message  counts 
mightily  in  impressing  the  congregation.  It  is  not 
easy  to  frighten  or  woo  men  and  women  to-day  by 
telling  them  of  the  pains  of  hell  or  the  bliss  of 
heaven.  Strong  people  are  neither  scared  nor 
coaxed  into  the  Church  or  the  Kingdom  of  God 
nowadays.  But  men  and  women  want  something 
that  will  give  them  comfort  and  peace  and  joy 
while  they  are  working  hard  and  trying  to  find 
some  reasonable  explanation  of  the  world  which 
the  vast  majority  are  finding  now  just  a  little  too 
big  and  hard  for  them  to  manage  without  some 
help  from  outside.  Our  Christian  Gospel  prom- 
ises that  help.  When  the  message  is  put  in 
that  way  the  people  like  to  hear  it  and  they  are  re- 
spectful to  the  messenger.  Let  us  always  remem- 
ber that  the  mission  of  Jesus  was  to  the  whole  life 
of  man  here  and  hereafter.  He  seeks  to  save  men 
from  the  sin  that  is  destroying  them  in  time  as  well 
as  from  the  inevitable  issue  of  those  sins  in  eter- 
nity. This  accent  of  present  helpfulness  and 
strength  has  been  too  much  lost  out  of  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Christian  pulpit.  We  must  bring  it  back 
and  set  it  before  the  congregations  of  the  present 
day  in  all  its  charm  and  power.  The  Gospel  is  a 
message  of  new  life  to  the  world  now. 

Then  there  is  another  factor  in  preaching  which 
we  must  always  regard.     The  message  which  has 


IMPRESSION  AND  EXPEESSION  43 

been  impressed  upon  the  preacher  and  expressed  by 
him  in  a  sermon  that  impresses  the  hearers  is  in 
turn  to  be  expressed  by  them  in  new  forms  of  indi- 
vidual and  social  action.  We  reckon  too  seldom 
with  this  fact,  that  the  real  end  of  the  sermon  is 
achieved  in  the  working  out  of  its  truth  in  the 
practical  activities  of  living  men  and  women.  The 
sermon  which  expresses  the  Gospel  intends  to  get 
something  done  in  the  life  of  the  individual  and  the 
community. 

It  is  all  expressed  in  that  passage  where  the 
commas  do  such  a  lot  of  damage  in  Ephesians 
4:  12.  Paul  says  that  Christ  gave  different  gifts 
to  the  members  of  His  body,  the  Church,  and  made 
some  to  be  apostles,  prophets,  evangelists,  prophets 
and  teachers,  "  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints, 
unto  the  work  of  ministering,  unto  the  building  up 
of  the  body  of  Christ."  And  when  we  read  those 
three  phrases  we  are  accustomed  to  regard  them  as 
the  three  coordinate  aspects  of  the  duties  of  church 
leaders.  They  are  to  perfect  the  saints  and  to  do 
the  ministering  work  of  the  congregation  and  to 
build  up  the  body  of  Christ.  But  these  are  not  co- 
ordinates. This  is  an  ascending  scale  of  activities. 
Church  leaders — and  just  now  we  are  thinking  of 
the  preacher  preeminently — are  to  work  to  make 
the  members  able  to  do  the  service  of  the  commu- 
nity in  order  that  thereby  the  great  fellowship  of 
Christ  on  earth  may  be  built  up.  Therefore  the 
sermon  is  designed  to  be  something  more  than  a 


44  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

part  of  the  preacher's  work ;  it  is  the  definition  of 
the  congregation's  community  task. 

Thus  we  have  a  new  test  of  the  value  of  the  ser- 
mon. That  is  not  a  real  sermon  which  has  merely 
presented  a  phase  of  the  Gospel  so  clearly  that  it 
has  been  made  plain  to  the  minds  of  the  congrega- 
tion. Nor  is  that  a  real  sermon  which  has  moved 
the  people  to  a  temporary  elevation  of  feeling. 
But  the  true  sermon  convinces  the  mind,  moves  the 
emotions,  and  also  gains  such  a  decision  of  the 
hearer  that  the  truth  in  the  sermon  becomes  a  new 
program  for  the  daily  life  of  the  individual  and 
for  the  community.  The  good  news  that  has  been 
impressed  or  driven  home  must  be  expressed  or 
driven  out  into  action  in  all  the  phases  of  the  com- 
munity life. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  of  the  individual 
and  the  social  Gospel,  as  if  there  were  some  per- 
manent contradiction  between  them.  There  is  no 
more  contradiction  here  than  there  is  between  the 
opposite  sides  of  a  "  nickel "  or  the  concave  and 
convex  sides  of  a  crescent  moon.  Each  is  neces- 
sary to  the  other.  It  would  be  Impossible  to  have 
the  coin  if  there  were  not  two  sides  to  it.  They 
complete  one  another.  The  crescent  moon  must  be 
convex  and  it  must  be  concave.  We  may  admire 
one  side  more  than  the  other;  but  we  know  that 
both  sides  are  involved  in  the  complete  object. 

So  the  expression  of  the  truth  in  the  sermon 
must  be  wrought  out  by  the  individual.     The  good 


IMPEESSION  AND  EXPEESSION  45 

news  becomes  a  ruling  principle  by  which  he  shapes 
the  program  of  his  life.  Occasionally  we  hear 
some  one  disparage  the  idea  of  "saving  one's  soul/' 
We  are  told  that  this  is  selfish  and  quite  unworthy 
business ;  that  a  man  who  is  bent  on  saving  his  soul 
probably  has  a  soul  hardly  worth  saving.  And 
there  is  urgent  warning  in  the  statement  if  one  who 
is  anxious  about  saving  his  soul  thinks  that  he  can 
accomplish  his  purpose  in  solitude.  No  man  ever 
started  out  to  save  his  own  soul  without  finding 
that  he  could  not  reach  his  end  without  the  help 
and  encouragement  of  his  comrades.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  sheer  individual  salvation.  Indi- 
vidual salvation  demands  the  aid  of  the  group  in 
order  to  its  accomplishment. 

Or  suppose  we  begin  at  the  other  side  of  the 
proposition  and  stress  the  social  aspect  of  the  good 
news.  We  make  a  beginning  with  the  endeavour 
to  work  out  a  program  for  the  community  through 
which  the  Gospel  will  be  realized  in  the  life  of 
the  people.  We  have  hardly  taken  the  first  step 
until  we  discover  that  nothing  can  be  done  unless 
we  have  at  hand  a  growing  number  of  individuals 
who  are  trying  to  save  their  own  souls  according 
to  the  plan  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus.  All  kinds  of 
most  attractive  schemes  for  community  uplift  have 
been  devised  and  started  into  operation;  but  they 
have  not  gone  far  until  they  have  failed.  The  plan 
was  all  right ;  but  there  was  no  driving  energy  be- 
hind the  scheme.     Men  and  women  who  have 


46  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

caught  the  spirit  of  Jesus  and  are  ready  to  give 
themselves  to  the  realization  of  His  program  as 
a  vital  part  of  the  process  of  saving  their  own  souls 
are  the  driving  force  behind  all  the  practical  efforts 
that  will  succeed  in  the  redemption  of  the  com- 
munity. 

The  emphasis  upon  the  social  Gospel  was  timely 
and  it  ought  never  to  be  lost.  There  is  no  greater 
folly  than  to  accomplish  the  **  conversion  "  of  an 
individual  and  then  ask  him,  with  all  the  struggle 
ahead  of  him  as  he  seeks  to  realize  his  new  resolu- 
tion, to  go  back  Into  surroundings  where  all  the 
forces  of  the  community  will  be  at  work  against 
him  rather  than  for  him.  In  fact,  the  individual 
saves  society  and  society  saves  the  individual  all  the 
time,  when  each  is  engrossed  in  the  process  of 
working  out  the  program  of  salvation  which  is 
brought  to  the  world  in  the  good  news  which  the 
preacher  publishes. 

A  wonderful  sense  of  freedom  is  born  in  the 
preacher's  mind  and  heart  when  he  catches  this 
harmony  between  these  two  phases  of  his  message 
and  knows  that  he  Is  to  speak  to  the  Individual  and 
to  the  community,  bringing  to  both  a  message  of 
such  mighty  moulding  power  that  it  will  shape  to 
better  conditions  all  the  life  of  the  generation. 
There  is  no  other  person  in  the  community 
who  has  such  a  message;  there  is  no  other 
business  in  the  community  comparable  with 
this.     The   preacher   may   have   a    small    salary 


IMPEESSION  AND  EXPEESSION  47 

and  there  may  be  many  who  disparage  his 
work.  But  when  the  forces  of  the  community  are 
summed  up  according  to  their  value  in  making  for 
the  highest  Hfe  of  all,  the  Christian  preacher,  vital- 
ized by  the  consciousness  of  his  wonderful  and  holy 
task,  is  the  chief  single  agent  in  the  whole  body 
acting  consistently  to  bring  forth  all  the  highest 
and  best  qualities  in  the  individual  and  society  and 
shaping  it  all  according  to  the  mighty  ideal  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  That  man,  endowed  with  that 
power  and  charged  with  that  holy  task,  is  the  most 
important  and  commanding  figure  in  the  whole 
complex  system  of  community  life.  He  ought  to 
preach  with  the  conviction  and  power  of  a  prophet 
for  he  is  doing  business  with  eternal  things.  He 
is  the  evangelist  of  God. 


IV 
EVERY  PREACHER  AN  EVANGELIST 

FROM  the  glimpses  we  gain  of  the  early 
Christian  Church  it  seems  that  there  are 
several  classes  of  recognized  leaders,  among 
whom  are  ''  evangelists "  and  "  pastors  and 
teachers."  Also  we  know  that  the  distinction  be- 
tween the  travelling  "  missionary  "  and  the  estab- 
lished *'  pastor  "  has  been  recognized  and  realized 
with  varying  emphasis  through  the  history  of  the 
Church. 

The  distinction  between  the  evangelist  and  the 
preacher-pastor  is  clear  and  permanent.  The 
evangelist  has  specialized  in  the  publication  of  the 
message  of  the  Gospel.  He  may  not  have  a  large 
number  of  sermons  in  readiness ;  but  those  he  has 
have  been  prepared  for  the  purpose  of  driving 
home  the  content  of  the  Gospel  as  a  message  of 
new  life  to  the  souls  of  men.  Then  the  evangelist 
is  the  student  and  the  user  of  a  technique  of  man- 
aging meetings,  carrying  on  propaganda  work  and 
in  many  ways  touching  the  community  with  the 
challenge  of  novelty  that  does  not  come  so  natu- 
rally into  the  work  of  the  resident  preacher  and 
pastor.     The  evangelist  is  the  promoter  and  the 

48 


EVEKY  PEEACHEE  AN  EVANGELIST    49 

preacher-pastor  is  the  conserver.  Both  tasks  are 
necessary  and  therefore  honourable.  But  men  of 
different  gifts  can  discharge  them  with  varying 
effectiveness.  Each  plays  an  important  part  in  the 
publication  of  the  Gospel 

But  while  we  preserve  this  historic  distinction 
and  recognize  the  validity  of  the  difference  in  the 
present  functions  of  the  two  groups,  the  proposi- 
tion still  stands  that  every  preacher-pastor  is  an 
evangelist.  He  preaches  steadily,  in  one  place,  to 
a  stable  congregation,  the  message  of  the  new  life 
in  Christ.  This  is  his  great  and  perpetual  busi- 
ness. He  must  not  be  diverted  from  this  by  any 
other  task.  He  must  not  let  the  successful  prose- 
cution of  this  task  be  interfered  with  by  a  mass  of 
parish  "  chores."  He  must  keep  it  in  the  fore- 
front of  all  his  thinking  concerning  his  work.  The 
presence  of  the  evangelistic  purpose  is  what  insures 
the  health  and  strength  of  the  pastor's  conception 
of  his  ministry. 

Every  preacher-pastor  ought  to  have  a  program 
of  evangelistic  work,  fully  planned,  flexible, 
steadfastly  adhered  to,  and  known  and  adopted  at 
least  by  his  official  boards.  One  of  the  sources  of 
weakness  and  failure  In  the  modern  Church  is  that  i^ 
there  is  no  definite  program  or  objective.  Aim- 
ing at  nothing,  a  church  will  hit  It  with  magnificent 
success.  The  reports  of  registered  gains  in  mem- 
bership In  the  Protestant  churches  In  America  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years  gives  us  ground  for  dismay. 


60  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

There  are  actually  thousands  of  churches  that  have 
made  no  gain  in  membership  while  many  have  lost 
in  numbers.  The  sign  of  life  is  growth  and  the 
lack  of  growth  is  the  sign  of  decay  if  not  of  death. 
Searching  for  the  cause  of  this  most  discouraging 
situation  we  find  it  to  lie  chiefly  in  the  fact  that  so 
many  preachers  and  churches  have  no  definite  pro- 
gram for  evangelistic  work.  They  do  not  seek  to 
present  the  Gospel,  to  work  definitely  to  influence 
persons  to  accept  the  Gospel,  to  make  the  Gospel 
the  power  of  God  in  the  modern  community  as  it 
certainly  was  in  the  early  days.  The  chief  single 
cure  for  the  desperate  condition  is  an  evangelistic 
program  for  every  church. 

The  word  "  program  "  as  we  are  using  it  here 
is  sufficiently  clear  to  require  no  elaborate  discus- 
sion. It  means  that  the  individual  church  ought  to 
have  an  objective  and  a  method  by  which  to  reach 
it,  and  that  the  dominant  factor  in  this  should  be 
the  effort  to  publish  the  Christian  Gospel  and 
through  it  to  lead  men  to  Christ  and  bring  Christ  to 
the  community  as  the  Saviour  and  the  Creator  of 
the  new  life.  In  order  to  do  this  there  must  be  an 
order  of  activities.  Those  which  directly  promote 
this  great  end  deserve  the  first  place  and  must  be 
carried  out  without  fail.  Those  that  merely  con- 
tribute accidentally  to  this  supreme  objective  may 
be  done  or  not  as  the  energy  of  the  working  church 
warrants.  Their  omission  Is  not  destructive ;  their 
discharge  is  not  imperative.     Thus  the  recognition 


EVERY  PREACHER  AN  EVANGELIST    51 

of  the  evangelistic  purpose  of  a  church  and  its  in- 
corporation into  a  practical  program  of  action 
gives  us  a  new  scale  of  values  and  enables  a  minis- 
ter and  congregation  to  adjust  their  work  accord- 
ing to  the  importance  of  the  things  which  really 
ought  to  be  done. 

In  thus  defining  the  program  of  the  church 
and  making  it  gather  around  the  principle  of  evan- 
gelistic service  to  the  community,  the  minister  him- 
self is  the  most  important  single  factor  to  be  reck- 
oned with.  There  are  cases  in  which  a  church  will 
rise  to  the  recognition  of  its  supreme  business  in 
such  a  way  that  the  minister  will  catch  the  vision 
from  the  people  and  shape  his  work  accordingly. 
However,  in  the  majority  of  cases  it  is  the  minister 
who  sets  the  pace  for  the  parish.  He  must  do  this 
by  virtue  of  the  place  that  he  holds  in  the  thought 
of  the  people.  They  look  to  him  for  the  formation 
of  the  plans  that  are  to  be  carried  into  effect  by 
their  united  action.  Therefore  this  is  an  important 
question:  What  does  the  minister,  the  preacher- 
pastor  himself,  think  about  the  priority  of  evangel- 
ism in  the  work  of  pulpit  and  parish  ?  The  answer 
to  that  question  will,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  de- 
termine the  church  program. 

At  this  point  we  are  Inevitably  driven  back  to 
another  question,  namely,  What  place  Is  given  to 
evangelism  In  the  schools  where  ministers  are  being 
trained?  The  matter  Is  vital  We  must  recog- 
nize that  the  prevailing  emphasis  in  any  school  pre- 


62  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

paring  candidates  for  the  Christian  ministry  must 
be  academic.  Scholarship  is  vital  to  the  whole 
educational  process.  The  evangelistic  value  of  a 
curriculum  cannot  be  determined  by  the  courses 
that  are  given  on  this  particular  subject  or  the 
number  of  hours  that  the  students  spend  in  holding 
meetings  of  an  evangelistic  character.  It  is  rather 
a  matter  of  the  whole  spirit  or  emphasis  of  the  cur- 
riculum. In  college  the  studies  that  a  student  pur- 
sues are  to  a  large  degree  for  the  purposes  of  gen- 
eral culture.  In  the  theological  schools  of  a 
graduate  grade  the  studies  are  vocational.  The 
vocation  of  the  Christian  minister  is  to  express  and 
to  extend  the  message  of  the  new  life  in  Christ  as 
he  leads  the  church  committed  to  his  care  to  mani- 
fest the  Christian  religion  in  all  the  life  of  the  com- 
munity. Now  it  is  possible  to  be  a  technical  stu- 
dent of  the  Semitic  or  Greek  languages,  a  research 
scholar  in  Christian  history,  a  thorough  scholar  in 
theology,  and  have  the  evangelistic  purpose  upper- 
most in  one's  mind  and  mood  all  the  time.  The 
purpose  for  which  the  study  is  carried  on  is  to 
make  the  student  a  better  preacher  of  the  message. 
The  highest  type  of  theological  student  is  a  man  of 
this  temper.  And  the  best  theological  school  is  the 
one  in  which  this  point  of  view  obtains  constantly. 
This  is  not  a  mere  theory.  It  has  been  realized 
with  especial  excellence  in  the  theological  schools 
of  Scotland.  It  is  the  ideal  toward  which  all  such 
institutions  ought  constantly  to  aim. 


EVEEY  PEEACHEE  AN  EVANGELIST    63 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  tendency  of  research 
scholarship  and  the  tasks  of  the  university  tend  to 
obscure  the  primacy  of  the  evangehstic  purpose  of 
the  ministry,  as  we  are  here  defining  and  discussing 
it.  The  faculties  and  the  students  both  need  to  be 
reminded  that  they  are  engaged  in  something  more 
than  the  work  of  academic  research  and  training. 
They  are  preparing  preachers  and  pastors  who 
shall  realize  in  their  work  the  principal  business  of 
the  Church  in  the  world,  to  publish  and  to  make  an 
actual  part  of  the  environment  of  living  men  and 
women  the  great  Gospel  of  Christ.  One  should 
call  himself  back  to  this  truth  and  adjust  his  bear- 
ings to  it  frequently  in  order  that  there  may 
be  no  loss  of  the  actual  scale  of  values  in  the 
ministry. 

The  objection  is  sometimes  made  that  anything 
like  a  program  of  church  work  is  too  mechanical 
and  does  not  give  the  room  that  we  need  for  the 
free  movement  of  the  spirit  of  religion.  If  any 
minister  or  church  were  to  make  a  program  so 
rigid  that  it  did  not  permit  the  modification  of  it 
fully  and  flexibly  according  to  the  growing  need  of 
the  church  and  community  this  criticism  would  be 
valid.  But  in  all  our  discussion  we  have  kept  in 
mind  constantly  such  a  program  as  allowed  all  the 
liberty  that  is  involved  in  the  life  of  a  growing 
institution.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  normal  line 
of  growth  in  all  developing  things.  It  is  the  part 
of  all  self-conscious  beings  to  determine  the  way  in 


U  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

which  development  shall  take  place,  at  least  within 
the  limits  of  human  freedom. 

The  warrants  for  a  church  program  have  been 
put  so  well  by  Rev.  Charles  L.  Goodell  that  his 
statement  is  quoted  here  as  follows: 

"  For  a  successful  campaign  in  the  field,  every 
general  makes  a  careful  plan  and  every  army  wheels 
to  victory  or  defeat  around  the  drill-sergeant.  The 
captains  of  industry  are  men  who  take  an  extended 
purview  of  their  work  and  adopt  an  accurate  and 
far-reaching  method  and  plan. 

''  The  Church  must  be  as  wise  in  its  greater  task 
for  the  eternities  as  are  men  in  the  challenge  they 
face  for  business  or  battle.  Machinery  without 
power  is  useless,  but  power  without  proper  machin- 
ery is  wasted.  It  clarifies  a  man's  vision  and  fires 
his  faith  to  plan  means  for  a  desired  end.  Methods 
forestall  waste,  method  economizes  time  and  men, 
and  makes  surer  and  quicker  dividends  of  service. 

"  The  organization  which  ought  to  have  most  of 
intelligent,  intensive  and  extensive  method  is  the 
Church  of  God.  The  man  who  ought  to  have  a  com- 
prehensive, prepared  plan  is  the  pastor  to  whom 
hundreds  are  looking  to  find  a  way  in  which  they 
may  best  express  themselves  for  the  service  of  God. 
He  must  know  how  to  utilize  and  husband  eveiy 
fragment  of  time  and  energy  of  his  people  that  noth- 
ing be  lost.  His  flock  will  have  unbounded  respect 
for  a  pastor  who  takes  time  by  the  forelock  and  lays 
out  his  work  before  the  rush  of  the  season  is  upon 
him  and  drives  him  from  one  task  to  another  with  no 
real  plan  through  the  months  and  years." 

Turning  at  this  point  to  a  practical  program  for 
an  individual  church,  or,  under  most  favourable 
conditions,  for  a  group  of  churches,  we  find  that 


EVEEY  PEEACHEE  AN  EVANGELIST    55 

many  such  have  been  set  up  and  worked  out  so  that 
it  is  not  necessary  to  do  more  than  to  refer  to  a 
typical  example  of  such  constructive  work.  "A 
Program  of  Parish  Evangelism  ""  is  published 
by  the  Congregational  Commission  on  Evangelism, 
287  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York,  and  may  be  se- 
cured by  writing  to  the  office  of  the  Commission. 
The  outline  is  the  result  of  a  careful  study  of  the 
work  of  successful  pastors  and  there  is  no  item  in 
it  that  has  not  been  tested  out  successfully.  It  is 
not  adapted  merely  to  the  large  city  church,  but 
may  be  put  into  effect  in  the  ordinary  parish. 
While  references  to  certain  Communion  services 
reveal  the  fact  that  the  program  has  grown  out  of 
the  work  of  a  certain  denomination,  the  structure 
of  the  plan  is  easily  modified  to  the  work  of  any 
Protestant  church  in  the  country.  The  plan  in  its 
most  general  outline  is  as  follows : 

A  YEAR'S  PROGRAM 
September — December 

1.  A  Meeting  of  the  Church  Evangelistic  Committee: 
To  face  the  whole  year's  work  of  the  church  and  to 
map  out  a  year's  program. 

2.  Church  Rallies:  To  bring  the  church  and  its  work 
to  the  attention  of  all  the  people. 

3.  Parish  Visitation:  To  locate  and  enlist  possible 
attendants  and  adherents  of  the  church  and  its  organ- 
izations. 

4.  Fall  Reception  of  members  at  the  November 
Communion. 

January — Easter 

1.  The  Preaching  of  fundamentals. 

2.  An  Invitation  Committee:  To  study  the  best 
methods  of  winning  decisions  for  Christ  and  to  work 
continuously  with  the  pastor  to  secure  new  members. 


56  EYANGELISTIO  PEEACHING 

3.  The  Pastor's  Training  Class:  To  instruct  children 
twelve  years  of  age  and  older  in  the  fundamentals  of 
Christian  faith  and  the  meaning  of  church  membership. 

4.  The  Lenten  Prayer  Calendar:  Extended  use  of 
"The  Fellowship  of  Prayer"  in  private  devotions,  at 
the  family  altar,  in  prayer  circles  and  in  the  work  of 
the  Church. 

5.  Holy  Week  Services. 

6.  The  Easter  Ingathering:  The  reception  of  new 
members  at  the  Communion  Service  on  or  near  Easter. 

After  Easter  Conservation 

1.  Continuation  Plans:  To  continue  evangelistic  en- 
deavours in  special  groups  to  Children's  Sunday,  Mother's 
Sunday  or  Pentecost  Sunday,  and  to  enlist  new  members 
in  definite  tasks  of  Christian  service. 

2.  Absentee  Campaign:  The  locating  and  reclaiming 
of  absentee  members  who  are  living  in  the  community 
of  the  Church  though  holding  membership  in  churches 
elsewhere. 

In  this  discussion  we  are  concerned,  however, 
only  with  the  factor  of  the  preaching  that  is  to 
make  up  a  part,  and  that  the  principal  part,  we 
believe,  in  the  program  as  it  is  conceived  by  the 
minister  and  sanctioned  by  the  church  in  their  joint 
effort  to  bring  the  Gospel  to  the  whole  life  of  the 
community. 

This  proposition  we  need  to  consider  a  little 
more  in  detail.  Is  the  preaching  such  an  important 
part  of  the  church  program  of  evangelism?  Is 
there  not  grave  danger  that  we  shall  emphasize  too 
heavily  the  giving  of  the  message  by  oral  address 
and  not  allow  enough  weight  to  all  the  teaching  and 
personal  interviews  that  must  mark  the  program 
if  it  is  to  succeed? 

All  methods  of  Christian  service  depend  for 
their  success  upon  the  harmonious  use  of  different 


EYEEY  PREACHEE  AN  EVANGELIST    57 

forces  and  methods.  All  must  be  held  wisely  in 
discriminating  balance.  So  in  any  evangelistic 
program,  the  best  results  will  accrue  from  such  a 
use  of  different  lines  of  influence  as  will  secure  the 
most  forceful  and  attractive  publication  of  the 
Gospel  possible  under  the  conditions  prevailing  in 
the  community.  Therefore  when  we  exalt  the 
power  of  preaching  we  do  not  minimize  the  force 
of  all  the  other  methods  that  are  available  to  carry 
out  the  program.  Certainly  the  stoutest  defender 
of  the  place  and  power  of  preaching  would  never 
claim  for  it  the  entire  credit  in  the  case  of  success. 
Without  the  use  of  other  methods  of  expressing 
the  Gospel  the  sermon  would,  under  ordinary  con- 
ditions, never  accomplish  the  whole  purpose  of  the 
effort  put  forth  by  the  Church  through  its  evan- 
gelistic program  to  bring  the  Gospel  to  the  com- 
munity. Preaching  must  be  reinforced  by  all  the 
other  lines  of  personal  influence  that  are  essential 
to  make  the  Gospel  plain  and  to  enable  it  to  accom- 
plish its  mission  in  the  community. 

Granting  all  this,  however,  the  verdict  of  experi- 
ence as  seen  in  history  is  clear  to  the  effect  that  the 
message  is  made  known  through  preaching.  It 
may  seem  to  the  worldly  wise  as  the  very  vanity  of 
effort;  but  successes  are  finally  achieved,  and  the 
preacher  is  warranted  in  expecting  that  he  will  re- 
ceive the  verdict  of  his  community  in  favour  of  his 
cause  when  he  preaches  with  conviction  and  clear- 
ness. 


58  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

Therefore  we  urge  once  more  that  the  Christian 
preachers  of  America  revive  their  resolute  faith  in 
their  task  and  their  message  and  that  they  dare  to 
beheve  all  the  promises  of  final  success  crowning 
their  faithful  work  when  they  preach  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  Results  will  come  in  time  and  no  work  is 
too  hard  and  no  confidence  is  too  great  to  put  into 
the  glorious  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel  to  a 
community  either  in  the  most  favoured  section  of 
America  or  in  the  heart  of  darkest  heathendom. 

In  affirming  as  strongly  as  we  have  done  that 
every  preacher  is  essentially  an  evangelist,  we  do 
not  disparage  or  dispute  the  right  to  recognition 
and  honour  at  the  hands  of  the  Church  by  that 
group  of  heralds  of  the  Gospel  who  are  technically 
known  as  evangelists.  Whatever  changes  may 
have  come  to  pass  in  time,  certainly  at  the  very  be- 
ginning of  the  work  of  organized  Christianity  there 
were  preachers  who  bore  the  name  evangelist.  The 
record  of  the  work  of  these  men  and  their  suc- 
cessors is  too  deeply  cut  into  the  history  of  the  de- 
veloping Church  to  warrant  any  repudiation  of 
their  name  and  mission. 

That  there  has  been  a  growing  tendency  to  dis- 
parage the  place  of  the  evangelist  in  many  quarters 
admits  of  no  doubt.  There  are  many  reasons  for 
this.  In  some  cases  the  evangelists  are  themselves 
to  blame  for  the  condition  In  considerable  measure. 
It  is  wholly  possible  for  a  good  man  to  become  in- 
toxicated by  big  meetings  and  conspicuous  success. 


EVEEY  PEEACHEE  AN  EVANGELIST    59 

It  is  easy  to  indulge  in  caustic  criticisms.  The 
deadness  of  the  church  in  many  instances  lends  it- 
self to  attack. 

Then  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  evangelistic 
"  campaign  "  has  lent  itself  to  the  use  of  all  kinds 
of  methods  designed  to  make  the  "  free-will "  of- 
fering for  the  evangelist  anything  but  free.  Criti- 
cism of  the  financial  program  of  many  evangelists 
is  warranted  by  intimate  knowledge  of  the  facts. 
Granted  that  evangelists  work  under  heavy  pres- 
sure and  that  their  talents  would  command  large 
salaries  in  other  vocations,  it  is  still  true  that  just 
enough  warrant  for  the  judgment  exists  to  make 
the  claim  of  "  profiteering  "  one  that  plagues  the 
cause.  There  are  many  unselfish  evangelists  to 
whose  charge  no  least  method  of  exploitation  can 
be  laid;  the  majority  of  these  men  belong,  we  be- 
lieve, in  this  group.  But  nothing  is  gained  for  the 
cause  of  Christ  by  masking  the  fact  that  the  whole 
matter  of  **  professional  "  evangelism  has  been  se- 
riously injured  In  the  minds  of  devoted  Christian 
men  and  women  by  the  methods  that  have  been 
used  to  increase  the  offerings  for  the  evangelist  at 
the  close  of  campaigns.  Ministers  have  known  of 
these  methods  and  have  been  estranged  from  the 
program  of  evangelism  because  of  them.  Laymen 
in  the  business  world  have  been  outraged  by  the 
forms  of  pressure  to  which  they  have  been  sub- 
jected. 

Out  of  this  has  grown  a  humiliating  situation. 


60  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

Ministers  have  sometimes  been  attacked ;  occasion- 
ally they  have  been  the  offenders.  The  same  is 
true  in  reference  to  the  evangelists.  But  both 
types  are  necessary  to  the  developing  church.  If 
the  preacher-pastor  would  only  become  more  of  an 
evangelist  and  if  the  evangelist  would  occasionally 
try  out  the  experience  of  having  a  parish  to  care 
for  rather  than  to  come  in  on  the  tide  of  a  cam- 
paign and  flow  on  to  another,  it  would  be  better  on 
both  sides.  But  there  ought  to  be  a  warmer  sym- 
pathy between  the  two  forms  of  preaching.  Each 
is  necessary  to  the  other  and  both  are  vital  to  the 
complete  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  of  the  new 
life  in  Christ. 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SERMON 

AS  the  practice  of  Christian  preaching 
went  on  and  the  general  principles  gov- 
erning it  were  developed  there  appeared 
various  types  of  sermons.  Two  great  classes  were 
apparent  at  an  early  date.  There  were  those  ser- 
mons which  were  designed  primarily  to  publish  the 
Gospel  as  a  message  to  those  who  never  had  heard 
it  or  who  needed  to  hear  some  new  aspects  of  it 
presented.  These  were  known  as  evangelistic  ser- 
mons. Then  there  were  such  sermons  as  were  de- 
signed especially  to  build  up  the  life  and  character 
of  those  who  were  already  adherents  of  the  Gospel. 
Such  discourses  were  called  pastoral  or  edifying 
sermons.  In  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  all  ser- 
mons are  evangelistic,  for  they  are  publications  of 
some  phase  of  the  manifold  Gospel  and  are  meant 
to  make  it  more  fully  known.  However,  for  all 
practical  purposes  the  classification  is  valid  and  we 
shall  respect  it. 

An  evangelistic  sermon  is,  naturally,  nearest  the 
type  of  the  most  characteristic  Christian  sermon. 
For  the  business  of  the  preacher  is  to  declare  the 
Gospel ;  and  that  sermon  which  most  fully  declares 

6i 


62  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

the  message,  even  if  it  is  concerned  only  with  an 
essential  detail  of  it,  is  closest  to  the  best  and 
noblest  form  of  a  Christian  discourse.  Occasion- 
ally one  hears  the  evangelistic  sermon  disparaged 
as  if  it  were  in  some  way  an  inferior  type  of  Chris- 
tian preaching.  This  is  not  the  case  and  it  is  a 
mistake  to  undervalue  the  sermon  that  publishes 
the  Gospel  by  preferring  any  other  form  of  pulpit 
address.  Preaching  ought  to  be  kept  close  to  es- 
sential form;  and  the  most  thoroughly  Christian 
sermon  is  the  one  that  admits  of  classification  as 
evangelistic. 

We  look  now  briefly  at  the  outstanding  marks  of 
the  evangelistic  sermon.  The  first  characteristic 
that  appears  is  the  burden  of  the  message  in  the 
sermon.  There  is  a  vast  difference  between  a 
proposition  in  mathematics,  an  affirmation  sup- 
ported by  argument  in  logic,  and  a  message  direct 
to  personality  on  the  part  of  a  living  speaker.  The 
fact  that  two  and  two  equals  four,  or  that  Columbus 
discovered  America  in  1492  does  not  make  any 
change  in  the  conduct  and  character  of  one  who 
hears  or  learns  these  undisputed  facts.  They  leave 
the  conduct  of  living  persons  unmodified  and  bring 
no  real  news  that  is  either  good  or  bad.  But  if  I 
am  far  away  from  home  and  some  one  is  coming 
from  the  old  town  with  a  message  from  my  mother, 
that  is  quite  another  matter.  The  words  take  on 
new  meaning.  They  are  laden  with  a  beautiful 
content  and  they  are  awaited  with  a  wist  fulness  of 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SEEMON  63 

which  we  never  v/ere  conscious  as  we  studied  our 
geometry.  Love  and  memory  and  precious  thought 
are  all  wrought  into  what  is  said.  There  is  a  mes- 
sage in  it.  It  is  not  a  proposition;  it  is  news  from 
home. 

Now  put  all  this  into  the  sermon  that  brings  to 
men  the  message  from  God  and  the  implications 
are  plain.  The  preacher  has  something  to  say  that 
is  so  tender  and  urgent,  so  packed  with  yearning 
love  and  gracious  invitation,  that  his  discourse, 
both  as  literary  form  and  spoken  address,  is  dif- 
ferent from  anything  else  with  which  it  might  be 
classified  if  this  fact  of  the  message  in  it  were  dis- 
regarded. This  sermon  is  spoken  home  to  the 
heart  of  the  hearers.  It  has  within  it  the  power  to 
make  a  difference  with  human  lives.  It  tells  us 
news.  Something  that  we  ought  to  know  is  being 
told  to  us.  There  is  warning  and  comfort,  there  is 
help  and  hope  in  it. 

This  fact  ought  to  make  a  real  difference  to  the 
preacher  as  he  works  in  preparing  his  sermon  and 
delivers  it  to  the  people.  To  debate  a  question  or 
to  deliver  a  formal  lecture  is  one  matter;  to  bring 
a  message  of  life  to  the  soul  of  one's  comrade  is 
quite  a  different  thing.  What  a  privilege  and  joy 
it  Is  to  bear  a  great,  heartening  message  of  redemp- 
tion and  new  life  to  the  yearning  spirit  of  a  genera- 
tion! It  Is  simply  the  biggest  business  that  any 
living  man  can  do  In  his  time. 

Because  it  is  a  message,  the  evangelistic  sermon 


64  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

must  be  simple,  plain  and  direct.  These  are  the 
qualities  that  we  associate  naturally  with  the  ex- 
pression of  news.  Certainly  if  one  is  to  convey  a 
message  that  is  important  he  will  see  to  it  first  of 
all  that  it  is  clear  and  easy  to  be  understood.  There 
must  be  no  doubt  regarding  what  the  messenger 
means.  If  he  has  to  take  time  to  explain  or  to  dis- 
cuss or  to  defend  his  message  we  feel  that  he  is  not 
a  very  good  messenger.  We  want  to  know  imme- 
diately what  he  has  on  his  mind  to  tell  us.  The 
best  compliment  that  can  be  paid  to  a  sermon  is  not 
to  say  that  it  was  eloquent  or  grand  but  to  say  hon- 
estly that  it  was  clear  and  easily  understood.  We 
want  to  know  what  the  preacher  is  driving  at  and 
we  want  him  to  drive  at  it  strongly  and  swiftly  and 
accurately.  A  lecture  may  be  in  an  elaborate  and 
highly  finished  style.  We  expect  this  form  of  lit- 
erary treatment  also  in  the  essay.  But  an  evangel- 
istic sermon  is  the  burning  word  of  a  man  who  is 
sure  of  something  and  feels  that  he  is  sent  straight 
to  men  who  want  to  know  what  he  is  sure  of. 

Since  it  is  a  message,  the  evangelistic  sermon  is 
directed  accurately  at  the  hearer  and  at  life  as  it  is 
being  lived  now.  There  is  nothing  of  that  "  re- 
moteness "  from  life,  which  we  have  noted  as  a 
characteristic  of  modern  preaching.  The  mes- 
senger did  not  shout  out  his  message  to  any  one 
who  happened  to  be  within  the  range  of  his  voice; 
he  carried  it  most  patiently  and  thoughtfully  to  the 
one  to  whom  it  was  sent.     Now  it  Is  quite  possible 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SEEMON  65 

for  a  preacher  to  become  absorbed  in  some  book 
that  gains  his  attention  or  to  be  wrapped  up  in 
some  particular  line  of  study  that  is  proving  profit- 
able to  him.  He  is  in  danger  of  being  so  sure  that 
this  particular  book  or  set  of  ideas  is  also  interest- 
ing and  profitable  to  the  congregation  that  he  will 
give  them  his  book  or  his  cogitations  instead  of  his 
message.  The  way  to  avoid  this  danger  is  to  get 
the  consciousness  of  a  great  message  so  inwrought 
into  the  substance  of  preaching  that  it  will  not 
allow  itself  to  be  overlooked.  The  Gospel  is  aimed 
straight  at  life.  It  has  something  to  do  with  all  the 
ongoings  of  the  most  commonplace  day  of  the 
humblest  man.  So  the  evangelistic  sermon  hits  the 
mark.  Not  that  any  preacher  will  ever  deliberately 
single  out  any  person  or  group  with  the  intention 
of  ''  hitting  "  them  in  a  cowardly  way  from  the 
safety  of  the  pulpit.  But  the  message  in  the  evan- 
gelistic sermon  is  directed  toward  the  actual  life 
of  the  people  and  it  is  expected  to  find  its  mark, 
without  any  desire  to  do  injustice  to  the  personal 
character  of  any  one. 

The  evangelistic  sermon  must  be  directed  to  the 
whole  hearer,  that  is,  it  must  seek  to  convince  his 
mind,  to  move  his  feelings  and  to  persuade  his 
will  to  the  point  w^here  it  registers  a  new  decision 
concerning  the  dominant  motives  of  his  life.  It  is 
a  serious  mistake  to  think  that  an  evangelistic  ser- 
mon does  not  need  to  be  grounded  in  the  soundest 
logic  and  to  be  of  such  a  character  that  it  will  bear 


66  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

searching  debate.  It  is  a  current  notion  that  an 
evangelistic  sermon  must  be  "  emotional "  prima- 
rily and  so  make  its  great  appeal  to  the  feelings. 
We  are  inclined  to  think  that  the  preacher  must  put 
the  most  thorough  intellectual  preparation  upon  his 
morning  or  **  edifying  "  sermon,  but  his  "  evangel- 
istic '*  appeal  must  be  directed  especially  to  the 
emotions.  This  is  a  disastrous  blunder  in  judg- 
ment. No  permanent  Christian  decision  will  be 
registered  by  any  one  whose  mind  has  not  been 
thoroughly  persuaded  of  the  reasonableness  of 
Christ's  claim  upon  him.  Thorough  rational  con- 
sideration of  the  Gospel  is  fundamental  in  order  to 
its  acceptance  with  any  hope  of  constancy  in  the 
decision. 

The  evangelistic  sermon  does  not  stop  with  the 
rational  presentation  of  the  message.  While  back 
of  the  sermon  must  lie  the  deepest  and  sinctrest 
thinking  that  the  preacher  can  give  to  his  great 
proclamation,  it  must  all  be  warmed  and  bathed  in 
the  passion  with  which  he  believes  and  presents  it. 
The  intellectual  content  of  the  sermon  will  not  lie 
apparent  on  the  surface;  if  it  does  we  shall  get 
nothing  more  than  a  lecture  in  divinity  out  of  it. 
But  it  will  be  there ;  it  will  not  disappear  wholly ;  it 
will  give  warrant  to  the  whole  appeal.  So  the 
emotional  factor  steps  strongly  forward  in  the 
evangelistic  sermon.  The  preacher  wants  to  make 
his  hearers  feel  the  message;  then  he  must  feel  it 
himself.     Nothing  will  kindle  emotion  but  emo- 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SERMON  67 

tion.  The  preacher  whose  voice  never  breaks 
never  will  see  any  hard  hearts  broken  by  his  mes- 
sage. But  deep  feeling  cannot  be  summoned  into 
action  at  the  word  of  command.  In  fact,  the 
preacher  who  is  not  habitually  earnest  and  moved 
in  respect  to  his  message  will  evoke  only  slight  and 
occasional  response.  So  what  the  preacher  feels 
permanently  concerning  his  message  will  determine 
the  emotional  content  of  the  individual  sermon. 
Thus  the  best  emotional  preparation  for  an  evan- 
gelistic sermon  will  be  made  as  the  preacher  re- 
views his  own  indebtedness  to  Christ,  and  warms 
his  heart  once  more  as  he  reflects  upon  the  love  and 
loyalty  that  he  owes  to  his  Master  in  consequence. 
If  we  appraise  repeatedly  the  grounds  of  our  love 
and  gratitude  to  Christ  we  shall  find  ourselves 
tuned  to  the  right  emotional  mood  and  shall  be  able 
to  kindle  others  to  a  similar  glow  and  flame  of 
affection. 

The  most  important  factor,  however,  in  the 
evangelistic  sermon  is  the  direct  drive  for  a  deci- 
sion in  favour  of  the  message  on  the  part  of  the 
hearers.  The  evangelistic  preacher  is  a  pleader,  an 
advocate,  a  champion.  He  attacks  fearlessly,  posi- 
tively and  by  the  persuasive  power  of  love  the  wills 
of  his  congregation  and  he  asks  for  their  verdict. 
He  expects  this.  This  note  of  confidence  and  ex- 
pectation will  colour  his  whole  action.  He  will  not 
be  timid  or  hesitant ;  he  will  have  what  has  been  so 
aptly  called  "  holy  boldness."     This  is  the  temper 


68  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

in  which  Peter  and  Paul  preached  the  Gospel  at  the 
beginning.  It  is  appropriate  to  the  bearer  of  the 
message  now.  The  direct  appeal  may  take  the 
form  of  a  call  to  register  the  decision  in  some  spe- 
cific act,  the  signing  of  a  card,  the  raising  of  the 
hand,  coming  to  the  front,  attending  an  after-meet- 
ing, or  some  other  form  of  expression.  This  must 
be  settled  according  to  the  preacher's  own  judg- 
ment and  taste.  To  some  preachers  it  is  difficult 
to  call  for  any  register  of  decision;  others  do  it 
easily  and  happily.  It  is  not  imperative  in  every 
sermon:  it  may  be  omitted  altogether.  Yet  such  is 
the  urgency  in  this  kind  of  a  sermon  that  probably 
some  kind  of  an  appeal  for  a  definite  and  registered 
decision  is  desirable. 

More  important  than  any  single  act  of  decision, 
however,  is  the  persuasive  character  of  the  sermon 
as  a  whole.  The  evangelistic  sermon  must  be 
simply  keyed  to  the  note  of  invitation  and  per- 
suasion. Here  is  where  many  a  preacher  makes  a 
mistake.  He  feels  that  it  is  his  duty  to  rebuke,  to 
scold,  to  chastise,  rather  than  to  persuade  and  to 
invite  and  to  woo.  He  is  more  like  John  the  Bap- 
tist and  less  like  Jesus.  His  task  is  to  persuade 
and  invite.  Any  preacher  can  provide  for  this  as 
he  prepares  and  preaches  his  sermon.  It  all  re- 
solves itself  into  the  simple  habit  of  putting  the 
element  of  appeal  and  invitation  into  the  sermon, 
deliberately  and  constantly,  because  it  belongs 
there.     It  is  so  much  better  to  see  men  come  to 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SEEMON  69 

their  Saviour  rather  than  to  suffer  under  their  sin ! 
Therefore  in  taking  his  very  first  step  of  prepara- 
tion, in  all  his  gathering  of  material,  in  his  prepara- 
tion and  delivery  of  his  sermon,  let  the  preacher 
say  to  himself,  I  am  going  to  get  results  through 
this  sermon  by  making  it  so  persuasive  that  God 
can  use  it  to  reach  the  wills  of  hearers  and  make 
them  decide  for  Christ  because  it  seems  like  a  rea- 
sonable and  desirable  act  to  them.  With  this  aim 
constantly  in  his  mind,  the  material  going  into  the 
sermon  will  be  selected  and  ordered  in  such  a  way 
that  the  persuasive  factor  will  never  be  lost  for  a 
moment  from  beginning  to  end. 

It  must  be  apparent  from  what  has  been  said  re- 
garding the  evangelistic  sermon  that  most  diligent 
care  must  be  taken  in  its  preparation.  There  is  an 
element  of  spontaneous  testimony  in  it;  the  winds 
of  the  free  spirit  blow  through  it ;  but  it  is  thought 
over,  felt  through,  and  written  and  corrected  be- 
cause it  is  the  finest  expression  of  the  good  news 
that  the  preacher  knows  how  to  give,  and  so  noth- 
ing less  than  the  best  will  answer. 

An  item  to  which  great  care  must  be  given  is  the 
selection  of  the  illustrations  in  the  evangelistic  ser- 
mon. They  are  the  windows  that  let  in  the  light 
upon  the  truth;  they  are  exceedingly  important. 
Abstract  statements  are  remembered  with  difficulty 
even  if  they  are  comprehended.  The  most  finely 
finished  and  incisive  sentences  may  not  get  them- 
selves understood.     A  vivid  figure  or  an  appealing 


70  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

incident  will  often  drive  a  truth  home  and  fix  it 
there  quickly  and  permanently.  In  selecting  and 
preparing  the  illustrations  keep  them  close  to  life. 
Jesus  is  the  great  example  of  the  effective  illustra- 
tion of  the  good  news.  If  He  used  a  figure  it  was 
taken  from  the  daily  life  of  the  people  so  that  it  was 
plain  and  vivid.  If  He  told  a  story  it  was  drawn 
from  the  common  experience  of  men  so  that  they 
saw  the  analogy  and  felt  its  force.  Jesus  took 
simple  things  and  made  them  the  vehicle  of  moral 
and  spiritual  truth.  Another  principle  to  be  ob- 
served in  choosing  and  working  out  the  illustra- 
tions is  accuracy.  "  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  wit- 
ness "  is  an  ancient  commandment  that  is  still  valid 
even  in  the  making  of  a  sermon.  There  are  many 
illustrations  that  have  been  used  often  and  are  quite 
current  among  ministers ;  new  examples  and  anec- 
dotes will  be  met  as  one  reads  and  observes;  and 
every  one  ought  to  be  subjected  to  the  test  of  truth- 
fulness. A  false  or  overdrawn  illustration,  how- 
ever vivid  it  may  appear  at  the  moment  and  how- 
ever forceful  it  might  be  at  the  time  of  use  will,  in 
the  end,  defeat  its  own  object.  Reject  the  illustra- 
tion that  bears  the  suspicion  of  exaggeration  or 
untruthfulness.  Probably  the  tendency  to  use 
*'  death  bed  "  illustrations  or  stories  of  a  tragic 
character  in  order  to  appeal  strongly  to  the  emo- 
tions and  thereby  produce  quick  decisions  has 
nearly  passed  away.  If  it  still  persists  in  a 
preacher's  habit  it  ought  to  be  held  resolutely  in 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SEEMON  71 

check.  We  do  not  seek  to  make  men  believe  the 
good  news  by  frightening  them.  We  are  better 
students  of  psychology  than  that.  The  appeal  that 
wins  the  will's  consent  is  cast  into  the  terms  of  in- 
vitation and  of  love.  Also  a  preacher  will  act  un- 
der the  principle  of  reserve  and  repression  as  he 
uses  personal  illustrations.  Testimony  may  be 
given  in  the  sermon.  The  first  personal  pronoun 
belongs  there  occasionally.  But  never  suffer  the 
lugging  in  of  irrelevant  personal  details  and  the 
dragging  out  of  personal  experiences.  The 
preacher  has  the  right  to  say  "  I  "  in  his  sermon ; 
but  always  modestly  and  with  becoming  reserve. 

Since  it  is  a  message,  the  evangelistic  sermon 
will  be  delivered  with  a  glowing  confidence.  The 
method  of  delivery  ought  to  be  carefully  worked 
out.  Grotesque  performances  in  the  pulpit  or  on 
the  platform,  extravagant  gestures  and  postures  are 
a  hindrance  in  the  end  to  the  delivery  of  the  mes- 
sage. That  is  not  the  way  in  which  sensible  men, 
dead  in  earnest  about  anything,  act  in  other  places. 
There  are  always  certain  persons  in  a  circus  who 
specialize  in  antics ;  but  the  Christian  preacher  is  not 
a  clown  and  the  evangelistic  meeting  is  not  a  circus. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Gospel  is  something  to  feel 
excited  about.  If  it  is  the  greatest  message  that 
ever  has  been  given  to  the  world — and  it  is — then 
the  man  who  knows  that  message  fully  cannot  tell 
his  comrades  about  it  with  an  unimpassioned  mind 
and  manner.     The  preacher  simply  must  throw 


72  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

himself  into  his  sermon  with  his  heart  aflame.  He 
must  give  himself  lavishly  in  the  utterance  of  this 
truth.  He  will  hold  himself  within  the  firm  leash 
of  good  taste  and  consistent  manners ;  but  also  he 
will  "  let  go  "  without  apology.  He  cannot  do 
otherwise.  He  is  telling  his  fellow  men  the  most 
wonderful  story  that  human  lips  can  frame  into 
words. 

Of  all  the  sermons  that  a  preacher  delivers  the 
evangelistic  is  the  one  that  he  commits  to  the  future 
with  the  greatest  confidence  in  the  final  achieve- 
ment of  its  purpose.  The  evangelistic  sermon  is 
the  object  of  our  faith.  It  is  like  the  farmer  sow- 
ing his  seed.  He  prepares  the  ground  and  puts  the 
seed  into  it  according  to  his  best  judgment.  Then 
he  trusts  the  patient  and  benevolent  processes  of 
nature  to  bring  the  fruit.  He  does  not  try  to  hurry 
it.  He  believes  and  waits.  The  illustration,  like 
all  others,  is  not  quite  suited  to  the  truth,  for  the 
preacher's  personal  influence  avails  more  with  the 
truth  in  his  sermon  than  the  farmer's  skill  does 
with  the  sown  seed.  But  it  illustrates  the  truth 
that  the  evangelistic  preacher  implicitly  trusts  the 
quickening  power  of  the  Spirit.  When  he  has 
done  his  best  he  must  wait  and  pray  and  expect  re- 
sults in  God's  own  time  and  way.  We  are  respon- 
sible for  the  contact  between  the  truth  and  the 
souls  of  men ;  we  are  not  ultimately  responsible  for 
the  conversion  of  the  souls  of  men  to  that  truth. 
There  is  a  higher  power  than  ours  at  work  in  the 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SEEMON  73 

process.  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  rely  upon 
that.  If  we  were  obHged  to  bear  the  whole  respon- 
sibility of  quickening  our  community  through  the 
power  of  the  Gospel  it  would  crush  us.  We  do 
not.  We  are  agents  and  voices  and  messengers; 
but  results  rest  with  God.  Jesus  made  that  fact 
clear  to  His  disciples.  For  our  peace  and  power 
as  preachers  we  need  to  learn  the  lesson.  With 
convincing  power,  working  in  manifold  ways,  the 
Holy  Spirit  takes  the  truth,  even  poorly  expressed 
in  our  sermon,  and  brings  it  home  with  divine 
power  to  the  souls  of  men.  This  is  the  source  of 
our  joy  and  confidence  as  preachers  of  the  everlast- 
ing Gospel. 

What  is  the  relation  of  the  Christian  message  to 
the  Christian  theology F  We  are  often  inclined  to 
think  that  there  is  such  a  difference  between  them 
that  either  the  one  or  the  other  is  to  be  maintained 
or  disregarded.  Every  preacher  who  sets  out  to 
realize  the  supreme  purpose  of  his  work,  that  is, 
to  give  the  Gospel  to  the  community  in  every  pos- 
sible way  because  it  is  the  very  message  of  life  and 
power,  ought  to  be  clear  in  his  own  mind  concern- 
ing the  relation  between  the  message  and  the  the- 
ology of  the  Christian  religion.  Certain  facts  are 
apparent. 

The  message  was  first  in  order  of  time;  the  the- 
ology followed  as  a  matter  of  necessity.  The  dis- 
ciples and  first  followers  of  Jesus  did  not  concern 
themselves  with  any  logical  effort  to  reduce  the 


74  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

truth  that  He  had  taught  them  to  systematic  form. 
Their  purpose  was  not  interpretation  or  explana- 
tion; it  was  proclamation  and  declaration.  They 
had  learned  something  that  seemed  to  them  so  im- 
mensely important  that  they  immediately  gave 
themselves  up  to  the  task  of  letting  their  new- 
found truth  be  known  as  widely  as  possible  and  in 
every  way  at  their  command.  That  was  their  one 
immediate,  urgent  and  almost  desperate  business. 
The  world  was  in  deadly  danger;  they  knew  how 
to  save  it ;  they  were  willing  to  go  through  fire  and 
water  to  tell  men  that  there  was  a  way  out  of  peril. 
As  we  read  this  story  we  are  sensitive  to  the  hero- 
ism and  the  power  of  it.  These  men  were  so  splen- 
did in  their  devotion!  They  shame  us  with  our 
easy-going  comforts.  They  met  danger  and  death 
with  superb  courage.  We  growl  because  the  chair 
is  not  cushioned  and  the  room  is  not  warm.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  the  passion  and  the  heroism  of  the 
early  years  of  the  Christian  enterprise  are  alto- 
gether too  lacking  in  our  modern  Christian  life. 
The  days  of  the  message  were  the  days  of  heroism 
and  advance. 

The  work  of  the  theologians  began  early.  It 
was  imperative  and  vital.  The  mind  must  engage 
with  the  facts  of  life  and  seek  to  reduce  them  to 
order.  God  made  us  with  eager  minds  as  well  as 
loving  hearts.  The  young  faith  was  attacked  by 
enemies  from  outside;  it  was  threatened  by  divi- 
sions from  within.     Under  the  strain  of  this  situa- 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SEEMON  75 

tion  the  defenders  of  the  faith  worked  out  the  first 
apologies  for  it;  the  champions  of  one  aspect  of  it 
in  contrast  with  another  set  forth  the  details  of  the 
message  with  logical  completeness.  Every  active 
mind  inevitably  set  to  work  to  reduce  the  message 
to  a  logical  unity ;  the  reason  must  demand  this  of 
everything  that  asks  the  consent  of  our  wills.  So 
came  the  days  of  the  theologians.  And  inevitably 
with  them  there  came  also  a  lowering  of  the  degree 
of  passion  and  a  diminishing  of  the  apostolic  assur- 
ance. Not  that  they  were  lost.  Far  from  it.  Not 
that  the  losses  were  more  than  the  gains.  That 
was  not  true  at  all.  In  the  end  the  gains  more  than 
compensated  for  the  apparent  losses.  But  it  is  im- 
possible to  reduce  the  work  of  the  messenger  to  the 
propositions  of  the  logician  without  the  loss  of  the 
herald's  first  ardour.  It  is  like  a  young  lover  who 
experiences  the  first  chastening  of  his  logic  as  he 
tries  to  think  out  the  reasons  for  his  sudden  devo- 
tion. In  the  end  he  will  be  a  better  lover  if  he  sits 
down  with  himself  in  the  solemn  wrestling  de- 
manded by  his  logic  and  his  economic  sense.  He 
may  squander  a  little  less  money  on  roses  and  en^ 
tertainments ;  but  he  gives  promise  of  being  an  alto- 
gether better  husband  because  he  can  give  a  little 
stronger  reason  for  the  love  that  is  in  him. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  Why  not  return  to 
the  simplicity  of  the  early  testimony?  That  was 
the  method  at  the  beginning.  Why  not  now  ?  The 
first    answer    is,    Because    the    conditions    have 


76  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

changed.  There  is  now  a  great  body  of  Christian 
truth  in  our  possession,  the  rich  resuU  of  the  expe- 
rience of  the  past  and  the  thought  that  has  been 
put  upon  it.  This  has  immensely  enriched  the  con- 
tent of  the  Gospel.  It  has  not  changed  its  essential 
factors,  which  are  what  they  were  in  the  beginning ; 
but  it  has  enlarged  them  until  they  are  more  ample 
and  appealing.  It  is  easier  now  to  make  the  appeal 
for  Christ  because  we  have  the  testimony  of  almost 
two  thousand  years  from  which  to  draw  for  con- 
firmation. 

And  also  the  age  is  immensely  more  complex  in 
its  interests  and  demands.  Men  have  the  right  to 
ask  for  something  more  than  simply  the  testimony 
of  the  disciple  or  the  ardent  words  of  the  recent 
convert.  Persuasion  is  a  varied  art  and  makes 
many  demands  upon  us.  It  calls  for  the  accurate 
and  reasoned  statement  as  well  as  for  the  fervid 
testimony.  The  Christian  pleader  and  advocate 
cannot  afford  to  spare  the  formal  and  systematic 
statement  of  the  Gospel  in  the  form  of  theology. 
It  is  the  vital  complement  to  the  testimony  of  the 
Christian  witness. 

Therefore  the  evangelist  should  be  a  theologian 
as  the  true  theologian  ought  also  to  be  the  evan- 
gelist. Each  task  is  necessary  to  the  other.  It  is 
a  great  loss  to  the  evangelist  if  he  disparages  the- 
ology. Occasionally  one  hears  an  evangelistic 
preacher  say  that  he  is  no  theologian.  If  this  is  a 
confession  of  humility  it  may  be  permitted ;  but  if 


THE  EVANGELISTIC  SEEMON  77 

it  is  a  disparagement  of  theology  it  is  a  fearful 
mistake.  He  ought  to  be  a  theologian;  or  at 
least  he  ought  to  try  to  be  one.  Back  of  every 
serious  attempt  to  publish  the  Gospel  lies  a  review 
and  fresh  statement  of  the  fundamental  theology 
of  the  Christian  religion.  It  will  not  be  presented 
as  a  theology,  of  course;  but  it  will  be  the  sup- 
porting framework  of  the  sermons.  They  will 
be  organized  around  the  great  basic  truths  of  the 
Christian  religion  as  these  have  been  wrought  out 
by  the  earnest  work  of  the  theologians  of  the  past 
and  as  they  represent  the  deepest  thinking  that  the 
preacher  can  do  himself. 

In  the  sermons  that  are  suggested  in  this  study 
of  evangelistic  preaching  the  theological  sources 
and  values  have  been  kept  constantly  in  mind.  No 
effort  is  made  to  include  all  the  truths  that  com- 
pose the  body  of  Christian  theology ;  but  the  main 
facts  have  been  kept  in  view  and  the  purpose  in 
the  sermons  is  to  bring  the  whole  Christian  mes- 
sage to  the  community. 


VI 

EVANGELISM    AS    THE    ORGANIZING 
PRINCIPLE  IN  PREACHING 

ONE  of  the  greatest  dangers  in  the  work  of 
preaching  is  the  tendency  to  work  from 
hand  to  mouth  in  preparing  the  weekly 
sermon  instead  of  having  a  plan  worked  out  in 
advance  by  which  one  great  line  of  thought  is 
carried  through  the  church  year  from  autumn  to 
spring,  inclusive.  It  never  ought  to  be  necessary 
to  ask,  What  shall  I  preach  about  next  Sunday  ?  as 
the  new  week  begins.  The  sermons  of  the  year 
should  be  so  well  defined  that  the  preacher  will 
be  sure  what  he  is  to  do  even  three  months  in 
advance. 

This  organization  of  the  year's  preaching  around 
some  great  subject  or  axis  of  vital  interest  we  call 
Organized  Preaching.  It  is  the  way  out  of  un- 
certainty and  the  path  to  power  for  every  preacher 
who  will  work  according  to  some  method  of  this 
general  kind. 

There  are  many  principal  subjects  or  centers  of 
interest  around  which  the  preaching  of  the  year 
may  be  organized.  The  life  and  message  of  Jesus, 
the  proofs  of  the  Christian  religion,  Christ^s  idea 

78 


THE  OEGANIZING  PKINCIPLE  79 

of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  essential  Christian  truths, 
expository  treatment  of  important  Bible  passages, 
and  the  social  application  of  Christian  principles 
are  all  vital  and  full  of  interest.  There  is  no  other 
single  subject,  however,  that  affords  so  much  in 
the  way  of  subject  matter  and  variety  as  the  pre- 
sentation in  its  fullness  of  the  Gospel  as  a  message 
with  the  purpose  of  securing  acceptance  of  it  by  a 
surrender  of  life  to  the  claims  of  Christ.  Our 
problem  is  not  to  find  material  but  rather  to  select 
wisely  from  the  vast  amount  of  material  such  sub- 
jects, arguments,  illustrations  and  appeals  as  shall 
present  the  greatest  of  all  messages  to  the  world 
in  adequate  fashion. 

Yielding  all  the  Sundays  which  must  be  given 
up  to  the  church  occasions  and  to  those  interests 
in  the  community  which  demand  recognition  from 
the  pulpit,  there  remain  about  thirty-two  Sundays 
during  the  year  when  the  preacher  may  speak  on 
the  subjects  that  he  chooses.  No  better  program 
can  be  devised  than  to  present  the  appeal  of  the 
Gospel  consecutively  and  with  growing  emphasis 
during  these  Sundays.  This  would  not,  of  course, 
be  done  every  year;  but  with  the  variations  that 
are  possible  it  is  feasible  to  go  over  the  ground  at 
least  every  four  or  five  years.  The  time  to  make 
the  program  is  late  in  the  summer,  near  the  close 
of  the  vacation.  It  should  be  shaped  with  the  ex- 
perience of  the  past  year  or  years  clearly  in  mind, 
surveyed  at  such  a  distance  that  perspective  is  pos- 


80  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

sible.  Let  the  matter  grow  quietly  in  your  calm 
reflection  concerning  the  work  and  problems  in  the 
field  until  August  or  early  September.  Then  take 
time  enough  for  more  positive  and  consecutive 
thinking.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  ac- 
tions of  the  whole  year.  Do  not  bring  to  it  either 
a  fatigued  or  distracted  mind.  Be  sure  that  you 
are  at  your  best  when  you  take  up  the  preaching 
program  for  the  year.  Keep  the  whole  problem 
in  mind  so  far  as  that  is  possible  while  you  think 
and  make  notes.  Do  not  work  on  the  matter  too 
long;  but  work  with  concentration  while  you  are 
engaged  with  it.  Now  imagine  the  community; 
renew  in  your  consciousness  the  meaning  and 
urgency  of  the  Gospel;  then  determine  what  great 
aspects  of  the  message  you  will  present  during 
thirty-two  Sundays,  more  or  less,  and  broken  as 
they  must  be  by  the  claims  of  the  occasions  that 
call  for  pulpit  recognition.  It  is  best  to  work  with 
small  cards  or  slips  of  paper,  noting  subjects,  texts 
or  key  thoughts  which  will  express  the  message  to 
the  community.  If  these  are  jotted  down  on  cards 
they  can  be  arranged  at  will.  Finally,  at  least  the 
major  part  of  the  year's  sermons  ought  to  be  in 
hand,  well  arranged,  with  many  notes  already  in 
shape  for  the  fuller  study.  A  preacher  can  go 
back  to  his  autumn  task  with  a  happy  sense  of 
certainty  and  freedom  If  he  has  this  little  package 
of  material  with  him.  He  will  not  be  feeling  out 
after  subjects  during  the  year.     He  knows  where 


THE  OEGANIZING  PRINCIPLE  81 

he  is  going  and  he  is  sure  that,  so  far  as  he  has 
been  able  to  shape  his  program,  the  preaching  will 
be  unified  during  the  year  and  will  tend  steadily 
toward  one  supreme  objective.  It  is  like  a  blue 
print  to  the  engineer  and  contractor.  It  shows 
what  is  to  be  done ;  it  keeps  the  relationships  clear ; 
it  is  the  standard  to  which  the  work  conforms  from 
day  to  day. 

This  organization  of  the  year's  preaching 
around  the  presentation  of  the  Gospel  as  a  message 
is  based  on  the  idea  that  the  preacher-pastor  is  an 
evangelist  and  that  he  can  do  this  work  while  he 
carries  on  his  regular  duties  as  the  organizer  and 
administrator  of  parish  activities  and  the  pastor  of 
the  congregation  as  well.  But  it  may  be  that  the 
needs  of  the  community  cannot  be  met  without  the 
carrying  on  of  a  series  of  evangelistic  services, 
apart  from  the  regular  appointments  for  public 
worship  and  preaching.  There  are  many  names 
for  this  series  of  meetings:  evangelistic  services, 
revival  meetings,  special  services  for  the  religious 
life.  On  the  whole  the  term  "  mission  "  is  grow- 
ing in  favour.  It  stands  for  the  purpose  of  the 
meetings.  They  may  be  organized  and  carried  out 
by  a  church  with  its  own  preacher  and  lay  work- 
ers. There  h  help  enough  to  be  had  if  the  plans 
are  well  made  and  the  people  will  work.  It  is  bet- 
ter in  many  cases  to  have  such  a  church  mission 
with  the  people  themselves  carrying  the  responsi- 
bility than  it  is  to  bring  in  an  evangelist  and  staff, 


82  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

for  the  people  are  inclined  to  shift  their  burden  of 
responsibility  under  these  conditions  and  put  it 
wholly  on  the  evangelist  and  his  organized  cam- 
paign. 

We  now  take  up  an  outline  of  thirty-two  sermon 
subjects  which  are  organized  around  the  evangel- 
istic message.  These  are  simply  texts,  titles,  and 
certain  suggestive  "  seed  thoughts,"  which  are  de- 
signed to  stimulate  the  preacher  in  his  thinking. 
They  are  not  sermon  "  outlines  "  which  are  to  be 
followed  in  the  development  of  the  subject.  They 
are  intended  for  three  possible  uses: 

1.  These  suggestions  show  how  a  preacher 
may  organize  his  year*s  pulpit  work  around  the 
evangelistic  subject  and  preach  steadily  on  the 
great  message.  Let  it  be  clearly  understood  that 
we  do  not  advocate  the  use  of  any  of  these  sub- 
jects and  texts  just  as  they  are  given.  And  it 
would  probably  be  quite  impossible  for  a  preacher 
to  follow  the  order  as  it  is  given.  The  purpose 
of  the  course  is  not  to  present  a  plan  to  be  followed, 
but  rather  to  show  how  it  is  possible  to  draw  up 
such  a  plan  and  carry  it  out  during  the  church  year. 
We  cannot  stress  too  strongly  the  point  that  the 
material  that  follows  is  simply  in  the  way  of  sug- 
gestion, to  provoke  thinking  rather  than  to  fetter 
it.  and  that  so  far  as  it  may  be  used  by  a  preacher 
it  must  be  worked  over  and  adapted  to  his  own 
methods  and  to  the  needs  of  the  community. 

3.     It  is  hoped  that  the  suggestions  that  follow 


THE  OEGANIZING  PEINCIPLE  83 

will  be  of  use  in  the  conduct  of  a  church  mission. 
We  have  in  mind  a  series  of  meetings  beginning 
on  Sunday  and  lasting  fifteen  days,  excluding 
evening  services  on  the  two  Saturdays.  Out  of 
the  thirty-two  subjects  given,  sixteen  are  to  be  se- 
lected for  these  meetings,  namely,  two  for  each  of 
the  three  Sundays,  and  one  for  each  of  the  five 
week  days  during  the  fortnight  of  meetings.  These 
subjects  may  be  developed  according  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  services;  but  the  suggestions  will  be 
useful,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  whatever  kind  of  service 
is  used  in  the  meeting. 

3.  In  making  these  suggestions  it  is  also  our 
purpose  to  propose  an  order  of  sermons  that  would 
be  fitted  to  use  in  a  regular  evangelistic  campaign. 
Every  evangelist  has  worked  out  his  program  with 
such  care  that  little  is  needed  by  him  in  the  way  of 
suggestion  as  to  the  unity  and  the  progress  of  his 
messages  from  day  to  day.  Yet  every  fresh  ar- 
rangement has  in  it  some  value,  and  therefore  we 
hope  that  this  plan  of  sermons  may  have  some- 
thing of  worth  in  it  because  it  presents  another 
arrangement  of  the  subjects  into  which  the  great 
message  may  fall.  The  preaching  task  of  an  evan- 
gelist is  not  an  easy  one.  There  is  the  danger  on 
the  one  hand  that  his  messages  will  become  stereo- 
typed; on  the  other,  that  they  will  lack  cohesion 
and  will  not  reach  any  real  climax.  Possibly  the 
plan  outlined  in  the  following  pages  will  be  of 
service  in  escaping  either  or  both  of  these  dangers. 


PART  II 


A  Program  of  Evangelistic  Preach- 
ing, with  Sermon  Outlines 


A  PROGRAM  OF  EVANGELISTIC 
PREACHING 

ON  the  basis  of  what  has  been  said  in  the 
preceding  chapters  we  now  undertake  to 
set  forth  thirty- two  texts  and  subjects 
which  present  the  Gospel  as  a  message  to  the  com- 
munity. They  rest  on  a  certain  definite  theolog- 
ical basis  which  seems  to  us  the  simple  evangelical 
foundation  of  the  New  Testament,  interpreted  and 
illustrated  by  the  best  results  of  modern  thinking. 
This  theology  is  not  that  of  any  particular  school 
or  name.  It  is  the  most  consistent  statement  that 
we  can  make  of  the  simplest  Christian  message. 
It  gathers  about  the  fact  of  the  living  Christ  and 
the  possibility  of  the  soul  finding  its  complete  reali- 
zation in  allegiance  to  Christ.  It  involves  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  concerning  the  Kingdom  of  God 
which  was  perfectly  exemplified  in  His  own  life  of 
love  and  service  among  men. 

This  Is  a  message.  Every  preacher  will  organize 
his  own  subjects  and  material  according  to  his  own 
ideas,  taste  and  sense  of  adaptation  to  his  com- 
munity. But  his  message  he  must  give.  The  com- 
munity needs  and  the  Church  demands  evangelistic 
preaching. 

That  this  is  the  supreme  business  of  the  Chris- 
87 


88  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

tian  pulpit  requires  no  detailed  discussion  or  de- 
fense. It  has  been  thus  from  the  very  beginning 
of  Christian  activity.  The  disciples  rallied  their 
faith  in  their  living  Master  and  then  went  out  to 
tell  all  the  world  that  they  knew  Him  as  the  Saviour 
and  Lord.  This  testimony  was  simple,  direct,  and 
positive  at  the  beginning,  and,  in  spite  of  the  way 
in  which  the  content  of  the  message  has  enlarged 
as  time  has  gone  on,  it  still  remains  the  great  and 
permanent  business  of  the  preacher.  The  increased 
meaning  of  the  message  and  its  application  to  the 
whole  life  of  mankind  has  made  the  work  of 
preaching  the  Gospel  more  complex  and  exacting; 
but  it  never  has  changed  its  warrants  or  released 
the  preacher  from  his  obligation  to  be  a  herald  and 
a  witness  of  the  message  of  good  news  that  Jesus 
brought  to  the  world  and  for  which  He  lived  and 
died. 

There  are  certain  fundamental  convictions  that 
are  imperative  before  a  preacher  will  undertake 
this  program.  He  must  renew  his  ardent  convic- 
tion of  the  truth  of  his  message  and  the  worth  of 
his  task  as  its  herald.  Christian  preachers  need  to 
study  their  charter  often  in  order  that  they  may 
not  lose  their  accurate  sense  of  the  work  that  it  is 
their  first  duty  to  carry  on  in  the  community. 

The  tendency  of  parish  work  is  to  crowd  to  the 
wall  the  primacy  of  preaching  and  especially  the 
supremacy  of  that  kind  of  preaching  which  is  con- 
cerned with  the  giving  of  the  message  to  the  com- 


SEEMON  OUTLIIiTES  89 

munity.  There  are  so  many  errands  to  be  run ;  so 
many  entries  to  be  made  on  cards;  so  many  inter- 
ests to  be  served !  But  there  is  only  one  dominant 
purpose  in  the  minister's  pulpit  work;  it  is  to  give 
in  every  possible  phase  and  accent  the  old  message 
that  Jesus  first  announced  in  Palestine  and  which 
the  apostolic  succession  of  Christian  preachers  has 
perpetuated  ever  since.  In  the  midst  of  the  be- 
wildering demands  of  the  modern  parish  the 
preacher  needs  to  reaffirm  this  principle  daily  as 
he  prepares  for  his  preaching. 

The  idea  prevails  widely  that  the  work  of  the 
resident  minister  in  his  pulpit  is  to  lay  emphasis 
on  the  teaching  aspect  of  preaching  and  delegate 
the  more  purely  evangelistic  task  to  men  who  spe- 
cialize in  this  form  of  the  sermon  and  who  travel 
among  the  churches  holding  evangelistic  meetings 
or  conducting  campaigns.  There  is  a  permanent 
place  for  the  technical  evangelist;  there  are  times 
and  communities  that  demand  the  organized  move- 
ment carried  on  by  the  evangelist  and  his  staff  of 
workers.  But  there  is  a  far  larger  place  for  dis- 
tinctly evangelistic  preaching  and  action  in  the 
program  of  every  congregation.  It  Is  what  Is 
sometimes  called  Evangelism  Church-wide  and  All 
the  Year  Through.  It  means  that  the  preaching  is 
organized  around  the  purpose  to  present  the  Gospel 
to  the  community  as  a  message  of  life;  that  the 
people  are  united  and  directed  In  the  support  of 
the  program  so  that  they  will  make  personal  and 


90  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

persistent  efforts  to  introduce  men  and  women  to 
Christ.  It  involves  a  movement  of  the  whole 
Church  steadily  and  steadfastly  toward  the  impres- 
sion of  the  Gospel  upon  the  total  life  of  the  com- 
munity. It  defines  the  chief  business  of  the  Church 
in  this  endeavour  and  calls  for  all  the  possible  re- 
sources of  the  people,  drives  us  to  new  consecra- 
tion and  prayer,  and  fuses  the  energies  of  the 
faithful  friends  of  Christ  into  one  supreme  loyalty 
and  service.  The  organization  of  the  church  for 
this  purpose  is  the  highest  privilege  of  the  pastor. 
As  a  part  of  this  program  the  preaching  of  the 
year  will  be  planned  to  present  the  Gospel  with 
new  force  and  conviction.  Therefore  it  is  neces- 
sary to  define  again  in  one's  mind  and  restore  in 
one's  experience  the  pristine  meaning  of  the  mes- 
sage which  Jesus  brought  to  the  world  and  which 
was  experienced  by  His  earliest  followers.  A  re- 
reading of  the  New  Testament  with  this  purpose 
in  mind  will  be  the  best  single  way  in  which  to 
gather  the  material  for  the  sermons  and  to  deter- 
mine what  subjects  should  be  preached  upon. 
What  is  the  Gospel F  The  word  has  been  used  so 
long  that  its  first  clear-cut  meaning  has  been  worn 
away  like  the  face  of  a  coin  that  has  suffered  hard 
usage.  We  must  review  and  renew  our  conscious- 
ness of  this  noble  word.  It  was  good  news  in  the 
first  century ;  it  is  still  good  news  where  men  strive 
with  the  underlying  sins  of  the  spirit;  our  work 
is  to  make  it  good  news  to  ourselves  and  to  others 


8EEM0N  OUTLINES  91 

in  spite  of  the  commonplace  character  that  time  and 
custom  have  given  to  it. 

Then,  having  selected  the  requisite  thirty-two 
subjects  which  seem  to  be  concerned  with  the  pub- 
lication of  a  real  message  to  the  modern  commu- 
nity, a  message  which  has  *'  found  "  you  and  in 
which  you  believe  with  all  your  powers,  the  work 
of  sermon  preparation  will  begin.  Of  all  the 
preaching  to  which  the  minister  has  devoted  him- 
self he  will  find  that  this  is  the  most  stimulating, 
delightful,  and  rewarding.  The  happiest  business 
in  life  is  to  set  forth  with  all  the  powers  at  one's 
command  the  Gospel  of  the  reconciliation  in  Christ. 

In  attempting  to  give  the  message  which  we  call 
the  Gospel,  with  what  shall  we  begin  ?  Perhaps  the 
most  familiar  point  of  departure  is  the  doctrine  of 
God.  Certainly  this  is  the  underlying  truth  that 
warrants  the  message  and  it  must  never  be  allowed 
to  become  obscured.  Occasionally  a  preacher 
starts  with  the  nature  of  man,  his  yearning  for 
God,  his  essential  religious  character.  This  is  vital. 
We  must  be  sure  that  religion  is  an  integral  part 
of  man's  normal  life.  If  it  is  something  artificial 
or  accidental,  then  there  is  no  reason  to  expect  that 
there  will  be  a  permanent  response  to  the  message. 
Preachers  sometimes  begin  with  the  fact  of  Christ. 
He  was  the  Messenger;  in  certain  respects  it  is 
true  that  He  is  the  Message.  If  we  gain  at  the  out- 
set a  clear  idea  of  Jesus,  if  we  are  warmed  by  the 
appeal  that  comes  from  His  radiant  Person,  we 


92  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

shall  be  disposed  to  accept  the  Gospel  and  to  trust 
in  it  as  the  way  into  a  new  life  for  ourselves  and 
for  the  world. 

The  place  that  Jesus  has  occupied  in  the  Chris- 
tian experience  of  the  world  makes  it  seem  reason- 
able to  begin  with  a  brief  setting  forth  of  Christ 
as  the  object  of  faith  and  love,  with  the  expecta- 
tion that  through  Him  we  shall  come  to  know  God, 
to  understand  the  meaning  of  sin  and  repentance, 
shall  appreciate  the  new  life  that  begins  when  we 
unite  ourselves  in  obedience  to  Christ,  and  shall 
bring  out  the  practical  results  in  conduct  that  are 
the  issue  of  this  allegiance  to  Christ  as  Master 
and  Saviour.  Therefore  we  begin  this  series  of 
sermons  which  is  to  present  the  Gospel  to  the  com- 
munity as  a  claim  upon  their  surrendered  wills  with 
a  presentation  of  Christ  as  the  object  of  love  and 
trust. 

In  preparing  these  sermons  the  New  Testament 
is  the  primary  source  of  material.  To  read  and  re- 
read its  records  of  the  life  and  message  of  Jesus 
is  the  first  privilege  of  the  preacher.  In  addition 
two  books  will  be  found  of  great  value.  The  first 
is  Outlines  of  the  Life  of  Christ,  by  William  San- 
day  (2d  ed.  New  York:  Scribner's,  1912). 
Among  the  numerous  books  on  the  life  of  Christ 
this  is  on  the  whole  the  most  satisfactory  as  a 
working  manual  for  the  preacher.  The  second  is 
The  Pact  of  Christ,  by  P.  Carnegie  Simpson 
(Revell,  about  1900).    This  is  a  study  of  the  char- 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  93 

actcr  and  work  of  Jesus  in  a  constructive  way  and 
is  especially  valuable  because  it  sets  forth  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Christian  life  in  terms  of  a  personal 
relation  to  Christ  which  is  peculiarly  adapted  to 
preaching.  There  are  many  other  studies  of  the 
character  of  Christ  that  will  be  of  value;  but  we 
mention  only  these  two  because  we  do  not  wish  to 
load  our  pages  with  references  to  books.  And  the 
most  valuable  material  which  the  preacher  will  use 
in  his  sermons  on  Christ  is  that  which  will  come 
hot  from  his  own  affectionate  reflection  on  the 
record  of  the  matchless  life  of  the  Master  and  the 
"  wonder  of  his  gracious  words." 

The  purpose  of  these  first  sermons  is  to  present 
Jesus  in  such  an  attractive  way  that  those  who  hear 
will  be  disposed  to  receive  His  message  favourably 
because  they  admire  and  love  Him  as  the  Mes- 
senger. Therefore  we  shall  seek  to  bring  out  the 
lovely  character  of  the  Jesus  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, who  is  the  basis  of  the  Christ  of  the  doc- 
trines. We  shall  avoid  at  the  outset  any  divisive 
doctrine  in  order  that  we  may  come  with  open 
minds,  as  the  first  disciples  did,  to  the  virile,  noble, 
winsome  Man  of  Nazareth. 


SERMON  ONE 

The  first  seven  sermons  are  devoted  to  the  char- 
acter of  Jesus  and  His  claim  upon  our  allegiance. 
The  purpose  of  this  first  division  of  the  sermons  is 


94  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

to  get  the  call  of  Christ  clearly  before  the  people. 
It  is  necessary  to  show  the  way  in  which  that  claim 
may  be  recognized  and  responded  to.  Especially 
must  we  show  that  the  Christ  whom  we  love  and 
serve  is  not  a  dead  Example  but  a  living  Lord. 

We  begin  with  the  human  life  of  Jesus.  In  this 
first  sermon  the  preacher  will  do  his  best  to  set 
forth  the  consummate  beauty  of  the  Great  Life. 
Read  and  think  and  even  wonder  and  adore  in  the 
presence  of  the  figure  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Use 
the  imagination  until  His  personality  is  vivid. 
Ponder  on  His  words  until  their  searching  and 
painful  beauty  sinks  into  your  soul.  Do  not  preach 
this  sermon  until  you  are  actually  glowing  with 
your  renewed  appreciation  of  Jesus.  Let  your 
emotions  play  around  the  scenes  from  His  life  until 
those  qualities  which  you  have  selected  to  present 
in  the  sermon  are  radiant  and  vivid.  Do  not  be 
afraid  that  there  will  be  any  loss  to  the  divine 
Christ  as  a  result  of  the  intensity  with  which  the 
figure  of  the  historic  Jesus  is  presented.  Remem- 
ber how  Phillips  Brooks  brought  out  the  figure  of 
Christ  by  stressing  the  human  perfection  of  Jesus. 

In  preparing  this  sermon  it  may  help  us  to 
read  again  the  poem  by  Sidney  Lanier  entitled 
"  The  Crystal,"  found  in  his  Poems  at  page  29. 
He  reviews  the  names  and  characters  of  the 
great  spirits  of  the  ages,  in  each  of  which  some- 
thing imperfect  is  found.  Then  he  comes  to 
Christ: 


SEBMON  OUTLINES  95 

"  But  Thee,  but  Thee,  O  sovereign  Seer  of  time, 
But  Thee,  O  poet's  Poet,  Wisdom's  Tongue, 
But  Thee,  O  man's  best  Man,  O  love's  best  Love, 
O  perfect  life  in  perfect  labour  writ, 
O  all  men's  Comrade,  Servant,  King,  or  Priest, — 
What  if  or  yet,  what  mole,  what  flaw,  what  lapse,' 
What  least  defect  or  shadow  of  defect, 
What  rumour,  tattled  by  an  enemy, 
Of  inference  loose,  what  lack  of  grace 
Even  in  torture's  grasp,  or  sleep's,  or  death's, — 
Oh,  what  amiss  may  I  forgive  in  Thee, 
Jesus,  good  Paragon,  thou  Crystal  Christ." 

This  is  the  way  that  Jesus  impresses  the  devout 
and  honest  student  of  His  matchless  life.  Having 
gained  this  impression  it  is  the  preacher's  glad  priv- 
ilege to  seek  to  impress  it  upon  others.  This  we 
undertake  in  the  first  instance  by  means  of  a  ser- 
mon on  The  Man  of  Nazareth.  We  want  to  create 
a  presumption  in  favour  of  Jesus  that  will  make 
the  favourable  response  to  His  divine  claims  natu- 
ral and  imperative. 

The  Man  of  Nazareth 

Behold,  the  man!  (John  19:  5). 

An  exclamation  of  contempt  becomes  the  highest 
tribute  that  could  be  given  to  a  human  being.  Jesus 
is  the  one  supreme  Man.  The  way  to  know  Christ 
is  to  know  God.  His  life  and  experience  furnish  the 
base  line  from  which  we  run  our  survey  of  life  and 
chart  the  moral  and  spiritual  universe. 

His  complete  and  glorious  humanity   commands 


96  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHTNG 

our  admiration  and  discipleship.  We  are  sure  when 
we  are  in  His  presence  that  we  are  in  contact  with 
everything  that  is  noblest  and  best  in  our  humanity. 
What  we  would  like  to  become  in  our  highest  mo- 
ments Jesus  was  constantly. 

His  courage  commands  our  trust  and  confidence. 
Courage  is  admirable  in  all  men  under  all  circum- 
stances. The  brave  man  is  the  defender  of  truth,  the 
champion  of  justice,  the  guardian  of  the  weak.  Jesus 
never  showed  the  white  feather. 

His  loyalty  commands  our  allegiance.  It  crowned 
His  courage.  He  never  once  failed  His  God,  His 
comrades,  or  His  Cause.  It  cost  Him  labour  and 
watching,  pain  and  death.  He  kept  faith  with  His 
ideals;  He  stood  steadfast  with  the  unpopular  truth. 

His  unselfishness  commands  our  service.  Jesus 
was  endowed  with  wonderful  personal  gifts.  Men 
and  women  loved  to  be  in  His  company  because  He 
was  so  friendly  and  so  kind.  He  was  utterly  un- 
selfish.    He  never  put  His  own  interests  first. 

His  joy  kindles  our  yearnings  and  invites  our  de- 
cision in  His  favour.  Jesus  was  a  happy  man.  The 
so-called  "  Beatitudes  "  are  the  assurances  of  happi- 
ness ;  and  Jesus  realized  all  of  them  in  His  own  life 
from  day  to  day.  Men  never  would  have  inferred 
from  the  life  of  Jesus  that  the  world  was  a  gloomy 
place  or  this  life  a  "  vale  of  tears."  Men  asked 
Jesus  to  be  their  guest  because  they  liked  to  have  Him 
around. 

On  each  of  these  counts  the  life  of  Jesus  commends 
His  message  to  us.  What  He  was  creates  a  presup- 
position that  what  He  said  is  true  and  that  it  is  de- 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  97 

sirable.  Therefore  Jesus  Himself  is  the  best  final 
warrant  for  accepting  the  Gospel  which  He  brought 
to  the  world. 

SERMON  TWO 

The  name  by  which  Jesus  was  commonly  known 
was  Rabbi,  which  means  Teacher.  Therefore  it  is 
natural  that  we  should  take  this  aspect  of  His  work 
and  character  as  the  subject  for  the  second  sermon 
that  is  to  present  Christ  to  the  community. 

We  remember  that  the  subject  matter  of  the 
Master's  teaching  is  different  from  that  with  which 
the  academic  teachers  are  concerned.  He  gave  men 
truth  by  which  to  live ;  He  was  neither  a  scientist 
nor  a  philosopher  as  we  understand  these  terms 
now.  Also  His  method  was  simple.  He  put  the 
truth  in  the  plainest  form  and  then  illustrated  it 
perfectly  by  His  own  life.  This  conformity  of  His 
words  and  deeds  makes  Him  supremely  great  as  a 
teacher ;  we  learn  quite  as  much  from  what  He  was 
as  from  what  He  said. 

It  is  only  within  recent  years  that  attention  has 
been  turned  to  Jesus  as  a  World  Teacher.  We  are 
fortunate  in  having  a  book  now  which  sets  forth 
the  subject  in  the  form  of  studies  for  class  or  dis- 
cussion groups  and  which  ought  to  be  worked 
through  carefully  by  preachers.  We  refer  to  Jesus 
the  Master  Teacher,  by  Herman  Harrell  Home, 
N.  Y.:  Association  Press,  1920,  price  $2.00. 

The  very  fact  that  this  is  a  book  for  study  rather 


98  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

than  for  consecutive  reading,  with  every  page 
bristHng  with  questions  that  provoke  thought  and 
study  makes  the  volume  especially  valuable  for  the 
preacher  who  must  work  diligently  and  for  a  long 
time  on  this  sermon  concerning  Jesus  the  Teacher. 
If  it  is  impossible  to  give  sufficient  time  to  the 
study  to  carry  it  through  to  the  end,  at  least  the 
contents  of  Chapter  XXV  on  "  His  Qualities  as  a 
Teacher  "  ought  to  be  worked  through  carefully. 
Prof.  Home  indicates  the  following  as  the  essen- 
tial qualifications  of  a  World-Teacher: 

1.  A  vision  that  encompasses  the  world. 

2.  Knowledge  of  the  heart  of  man. 

3.  Mastery  of  the  subject  taught. 

4.  Aptness  in  teaching. 

5.  A  life  that  embodies  the  teaching. 

In  selecting  the  points  to  be  presented  in  the 
sermon  we  must  use  our  own  best  judgment  and 
treat  the  items  that  appear  to  us  most  vital.  How 
do  these  strike  you?  Are  they  arranged  in  the 
right  order  for  the  climax  of  the  sermon?  What 
practical  illustrations  of  them  occur  to  you  as  you 
reflect  upon  them  ? 

This  will  be  one  of  the  sermons  that  will  grow 
with  brooding  upon  the  subject  and  It  will  be  a 
great  pleasure  to  perfect  it  gradually  through  re- 
flection and  formal  preparation. 

The  Great  Teacher 
And  every  day  he  was  teaching  in  the  temple.  •  .  • 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  99 

And  all  the  people  came  early  in  the  morning  to  him 
in  the  temple,  to  hear  him  (Luke  21 :  37,  38). 

We  all  must  learn  to  live.  Somewhere  there  must 
be  found  a  teacher  who  can  give  us  the  truth.  Jesus 
can  meet  this  need. 

The  Teacher. — Jesus  was  a  simple,  natural,  sym- 
pathetic Teacher.  The  scribes  were  dull,  technical, 
out  of  touch  with  life.  They  argued  at  weary  length 
about  laws,  ceremonies,  and  abstruse  speculations. 
Jesus  understood  men,  set  forth  the  truth  vividly, 
transfused  it  with  warm  human  affection. 

The  truth. — As  Jesus  taught  it  truth  bore  directly 
upon  life.  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  not  a  formal 
discourse  on  a  religious  subject;  it  is  a  workable 
program  for  individual  and  social  living.  Every 
principle  that  Jesus  taught  connects  directly  with  the 
common  work  of  the  average  man. 

The  method. — Jesus  used  homely  figures  and  simple 
stories  to  express  truth.  He  did  not  give  detailed 
definitions  or  carry  on  elaborate  discussions.  For 
example,  the  stories  of  the  Prodigal  Son  and  the 
Good  Samaritan  make  the  truth  plain,  vivid,  and 
commanding.  They  are  descriptions  rather  than 
definitions  or  debates. 

The  learners. — They  were  of  all  kinds.  Little 
children  heard  Him  gladly ;  old  men  listened  eagerly. 
Tired  toilers  stopped  to  take  in  His  words ;  rich  men 
asked  Him  to  dinner.  He  had  a  message  for  every 
one. 

The  results. — Those  who  became  Christ's  disciples 
found  that  their  lives  were  changed.  The  truth 
began  at  once  to  do  something  with  them.    They  did 


100  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

not  receive  merely  a  new  set  of  ideas  from  Jesus; 
they  found  a  new  way  of  life  in  listening  to  His 
words.  The  whole  content  of  their  relation  to  God 
and  to  one  another  was  changed  by  what  they  learned 
from  Jesus.  The  old  scenes  and  duties  remained ;  but 
the  disciples  of  Jesus  became  new  actors  in  the  midst 
of  old  engagements.  The  result  of  learning  in  the 
school  of  Christ  was  a  new  practical  life. 


SERMON  THREE 

In  preaching  the  third  sermon  in  this  series  we 
propose  to  present  the  claim  of  Christ  as  the  moral 
Master.  He  demands  a  transformed  moral  stand- 
ard; He  insists  upon  action  on  new  and  higher 
ethical  levels.  This  is  the  peculiar  characteristic 
of  the  truth  that  He  taught:  it  demands  that  we  do 
something  with  it;  it  changes  our  lives;  it  works 
moral  transformations. 

We  think  first  of  all  of  the  way  in  which  the 
message  of  Jesus  differed  from  that  of  the  religious 
leaders  of  His  day.  They  were  constantly  insist- 
ing upon  some  refinement  of  the  ceremonies  or  the 
detailed  legal  conformities  which  were  supposed 
to  determine  the  religious  character  of  a  man. 
And  Jesus  went  instantly  far  beneath  all  this  and 
discovered  the  underlying  motives  of  life.  He 
wasted  no  time  in  fruitless  discussion  of  the  exter- 
nals of  life.  He  wanted  men  to  act  from  the  right 
motives  that  produce  the  true  life. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  101 

A  suggestion  for  this  sermon  may  come  from  the 
following  quotation: 

"  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  very  warp 
and  woof  of  the  ethical  life  of  the  contemporary 
man  comes  from  Jesus.  Even  the  man  least 
friendly  to  the  Church,  even  the  man  least  respon- 
sive to  the  ministries  of  religion,  cannot  avoid  look- 
ing upon  multitudes  of  problems  of  right  and 
wrong  through  the  eyes  of  Jesus.  This  is  true  be- 
cause the  eyes  of  Jesus  have  become  the  eyes  of 
civilization  itself.  And  all  the  while,  in  ages  bright 
and  in  ages  dark,  individual  lives  have  been 
moulded  and  refashioned  by  the  influence  of  Jesus. 
A  multitude  which  no  man  can  number  has  found 
the  way  into  purity  and  integrity  and  brotherly 
love  through  the  power  of  the  Man  of  Galilee.  In 
the  darkest  ages  He  has  produced  white  lives. 
.  .  .  Slavery  went  down  before  the  spirit  of 
Jesus.  Every  reform  has  received  wings  of  power 
from  Him.  The  great  movement  for  making  the 
lot  of  all  workers  fairer  and  more  secure  has  a 
pressure  back  of  it  from  the  spirit  of  Jesus  which 
many  men  have  never  realized.  The  movement 
for  more  democratic  government  has  had  an  ally  in 
the  thought  of  every  man  as  a  possible  son  of  God 
through  the  touch  of  Jesus  Christ  which  has  under- 
mined slavish  political  conservatism  and  has  has- 
tened the  coming  of  the  new  day."  * 

*Lynn  Harold  Hough,  The  Productive  Beliefs,  1919,  P« 
106. 


102  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

Jesus  the  Moral  Radical 

For  from  imthin,  out  of  the  heart  of  men,  evil 
thoughts  proceed  (Mark  7:21). 

Jesus  went  to  the  root  of  the  moral  and  spiritual 
life  in  His  teaching.  His  claim  was  asserted  upon 
the  ruling  motives  which  actuate  us  in  daily  life. 

Jesus  affirmed  the  primary  importance  of  purpose. 
— The  old  law  dealt  with  actions;  Jesus,  with  the 
ideas  and  purposes  that  inspire  them.  Jesus  dealt 
with  causes ;  the  law,  with  effects.  Jesus  demanded  a 
transformed  life;  the  Pharisees,  a  conformed  life. 
The  conduct  and  character  demanded  by  the  law  were 
mechanical  and  superficial;  Jesus  called  for  radical 
changes  of  purpose  and  a  vital  religion. 

Jesus  proposed  a  supreme  standard. — Men  were  to 
be  good  as  God  is  good  and  because  God  is  good; 
loving  as  God  loves.  The  standards  of  the  Old 
Testament  seemed  high  and  difficult  to  reach;  the 
standard  proposed  by  Jesus  was  higher  and  more 
difficult.  This  makes  it  challenging  and  attractive; 
we  are  won  by  the  fact  of  its  difficulty  to  attempt  to 
reach  it.  No  other  program  of  living  compares  with 
that  which  Jesus  sets  before  His  disciples. 

Jesus  provides  resources  to  help  us  attain  His 
standard. — This  makes  Jesus  and  His  message  dif- 
ferent from  any  other  teacher  or  truth.  Other 
ethical  and  religious  masters  and  systems  propose 
ideals  and  standards;  but  they  leave  their  disciples 
without  help  in  attaining  them.  The  Christian  Gospel 
brings  with  it  a  new,  resident  energy  which  rein- 
forces our  highest  human  powers  in  our  struggle  to 
reach  the  standard  set  by  Jesus.  God  takes  a  part  in 
the  problem.    Help  comes  to  us  from  the  unseen. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  103 

God  breaks  through.  We  are  furnished  with  fresh 
troops.  We  may  not  be  able  to  explain  it;  but  we 
can  feel  and  know  it.  It  is  a  fact  in  our  conscious- 
ness. There  are  millions  of  witnesses  to  it.  God 
does  not  mock  us  with  the  definition  of  a  purpose 
that  we  may  never  attain.  With  His  help  we  are 
bound  to  win  our  battle. 

SERMON  FOUR 

The  purpose  of  the  fourth  sermon  is  to  present 
the  claim  of  Jesus  the  Man,  Teacher  and  Moral 
Master  upon  us.  It  is  taken  for  granted  that  we 
cannot  come  into  the  presence  of  such  a  character 
without  feeling  the  demand  that  it  makes  upon  us 
and  desiring  to  respond  to  the  upward  pull  of  it. 

The  great  principle  that  lies  in  the  background 
of  the  sermon  is  that  every  friend  and  every  situa- 
tion exerts  upon  us  a  definite  influence  either  for 
the  lower  or  the  higher.  There  are  some  friends 
and  some  situations  that  depress  and  degrade  us; 
we  may  not  be  keenly  conscious  of  the  fact,  but 
the  influences  are  silently  and  ceaselessly  at  work. 
On  the  other  hand  there  are  comrades  and  circum- 
stances which  elevate  us.  They  lay  a  silent  claim 
upon  all  that  is  best  in  us  and  call  it  Into  action. 
We  cannot  remain  the  same  in  the  presence  of 
these  Invigorating  forces. 

The  greatest  single  energy  that  can  possibly  act 
upon  our  moral  and  spiritual  resources  evoking 
their  response  to  all  that  is  good  and  noble  is  the 
Personality  of  Jesus.    In  the  presence  of  His  im- 


104  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

perial  claim  it  is  impossible  to  remain  neutral  or  to 
allow  ourselves  to  be  passive  if  we  are  conscious 
and  alert  to  the  meaning  of  His  life  and  message. 
Jesus  lays  His  strong  hand  upon  us  and  claims  us 
for  a  higher  life  than  the  one  we  are  living  now. 
The  best  way  in  which  to  prepare  for  this  sermon 
is  for  the  preacher  himself  to  feel  this  demand  and 
to  yield  himself  to  it  in  a  new  dedication  of  spirit. 
The  sermon  that  has  power  on  this  subject  will 
grow  out  of  a  preacher's  enriched  experience  of 
the  truth.  We  do  not  need  to  make  an  inventory 
of  our  literary  resources,  but  rather  to  increase  our 
own  spiritual  resources. 

An  interpreter  of  the  character  of  Peter  has 
written : 

"  Beyond  high  aims  and  burning  enthusiasm  it 
is  not  easy  to  say  precisely  what  Peter  saw  in 
Christ.  But  we  are  sure  to  love  the  highest  when 
we  see  it,  and  it  is  a  common  experience  that  we 
yield  to  the  magnetism  of  a  personality  when  ex- 
planations are  altogether  beyond  us.  It  is  not  so 
much  the  doctrine  of  Christ  that  masters  us  as  it 
is  the  story  of  His  life;  and  while  we  are  baffled 
by  His  nature  and  must  continue  to  be  we  are 
conquered  by  His  love."  * 

Christ  Claims  Us  for  the  Highest  Life 
Thou  art  Simon  the  son  of  John:  thou  shalt  he 

called  Cephas  (which  is  by  interpretation,  Peter) 

(John  1:42). 
*  Albert  J,  Southouse,  The  Making  of  Simon  Peter,  p.  II. 


SERMON  OUTLINES  106 

There  is  something  better  in  us  than  we  have  yet 
realized. — We  are  two  persons:  the  one  that  is  and 
the  one  that  we  may  become.  This  '*  potential  bet- 
ter "  and  "  possible  best "  is  our  true  self.  The  task 
of  life  is  to  bring  this  out  into  complete  expression. 

Christ  claims  the  best  in  us. — Peter  was  only  a 
fisherman  to  the  people  who  knew  him ;  he  was  a 
great,  durable  foundation-man  to  Jesus.  Thus  Jesus 
always  sees  the  best  in  every  one.  He  claims  us  for 
our  highest  life.  We  may  decline  to  yield  to  this 
claim ;  but  we  dare  not  ignore  it.  Certain  comrades 
bring  out  the  worst  in  us;  Christ  always  evokes  the 
best  in  us. 

Christ  joins  forces  with  us  to  enable  us  to  realize 
our  highest  life. — It  is  possible  to  catch  so  lofty  a 
vision  of  life  that  we  are  disheartened  by  it.  The 
challenge  is  so  great  that  we  lose  hope  of  attainment. 
But  Jesus  does  not  leave  us  there.  He  is  with  us 
and  on  our  side  from  the  beginning. 

The  new  character. — When  Simon  had  become 
Peter  he  had  not  simply  added  more  of  the  qualities 
of  old  Simon  to  his  character.  He  had  added  Christ. 
The  equation  of  his  life  was  Simon-|-Christ=:Peter. 
The  same  change  may  take  place  in  us.  The  old 
self+Christ=the  new  self.  That  which  has  been 
added  in  the  process  of  development  has  been  the 
very  Person  of  Christ,  actually  entering  into  our 
thoughts,  feelings,  and  actions,  and  helping  us  to 
realize  our  highest  life. 

Our  response  to  the  claim. — It  is  therefore  su- 
premely important  that  we  recognize  Christ^s  claim 
upon  us,  yield  to  the  mastery  of  His  motives  and 
spirit,  and  work  in  friendly  partnership  with  Him  to 
accomplish  His  purpose  for  us. 


106  EVAKGELISTIC  PREACHING 

SERMON  FIVE 

We  must  now  show  in  what  ways  it  is  possible  to 
estabHsh  vital  relations  with  Christ,  whom  we 
think  of  as  living  although  invisible  and  within 
spiritual  reach  of  every  one  who  will  respond  to 
His  claim  upon  them  for  the  highest.  We  must 
show  that  there  are  ways  of  approach  and  acts  to 
be  performed  or  we  shall  leave  the  whole  matter 
in  the  realm  of  the  mystical  and  unreal.  This  re- 
lation with  Christ  is  as  actual  an  experience  as  is 
the  beating  of  our  hearts. 

The  approach  to  this  subject  is  through  psy- 
chology, which  is  a  long  and  technical  word  to 
describe  what  we  know  of  the  way  in  which  the 
non-bodily  part  of  us  works.  We  do  know  how  a 
great  friendship  is  established  and  maintained;  we 
understand  how  a  child  becomes  a  member  of  the 
family  group,  not  merely  by  his  physical  presence 
in  it,  but  by  the  way  in  which  he  blends  his  own 
purpose  with  that  of  the  family  as  a  whole,  and 
thus  becomes  the  possessor  of  his  true  rights  and 
privileges  as  a  child. 

Now  it  is  clear  that  the  most  important  fact 
about  any  human  being  is  not  the  physical  condi- 
tions in  which  he  lives,  his  personal  appearance  or 
social  prestige.  The  supreme  matter  is  the  mo- 
tives which  steadily  actuate  him  in  his  daily  con- 
duct ;  it  is  his  dominant  desires  and  his  ruling  pur- 
poses. These  really  count  in  determining  the 
worth  of  a  person  to  himself,  his  family,  societj^ 


SEBMON  OUTLINES  107 

and  God.  This  group  of  motives  from  which  a 
person  acts  habitually  is  called  by  William  James 
the  habitual  center  of  his  personal  energy.  It  is, 
essentially,  his  religion,  which  Carlyle  said  was  the 
principal  fact  about  any  man.  Now  when  the 
group  of  ideas  from  which  one  acts  habitually 
center  in  loyalty  to  God  and  Christ  we  are  Chris- 
tian. When  that  set  of  ideas  escapes  to  the  region 
of  the  dim  and  unreal  instead  of  remaining  warm 
and  vivid  at  the  center  of  our  habitual  action,  we 
have  suffered  a  commensurate  loss  in  our  Christian 
life.  When  no  such  set  of  motives  has  swayed  us 
habitually  we  are  not  Christian.  When  we  take 
the  ruling  motives  of  Jesus  and  deliberately  place 
them  at  the  center  of  our  habitual  action  and  hold 
them  there  we  are  Christian.  The  rise  and  fall  of 
our  Christian  experience  is  determined  by  the 
loyalty  and  conscious  deliberation  with  which  we 
put  the  motives  that  ruled  the  life  of  Jesus  at  the 
center  of  our  "  habitual  center  of  personal  energy." 

This  involves,  it  will  be  readily  seen,  a  moral 
and  spiritual  union  with  Christ.  When  we  are 
"  motivating  "  our  actions  habitually  by  His  ruling 
motives  we  are  one  with  Him  in  the  spiritual  pur- 
poses that  swayed  Him  in  daily  life.  In  this  way 
He  is  in  us,  as  He  promised  that  He  would  be. 
And  we  are  in  Him,  as  becomes  our  privilege  when 
we  yield  ourselves  to  Him  in  such  a  personal  union 
of  purpose  as  we  have  described. 

This  is  a  general  description  of  what  happens 


108  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

in  the  beginning  and  development  of  the  Christian 
life ;  but  it  is  not  and  cannot  be  a  full  account  of  the 
forces  at  work  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  mighty 
change  in  purpose  and  character  which  makes  up 
the  whole  process  of  conversion  to  Christ  and 
growth  into  the  likeness  to  His  character  and  spirit 
which  is  the  goal  of  the  Christian  experience. 
We  know  that  there  are  deeper  energies  at  work; 
we  cannot  analyze  them  or  classify  them  fully. 
But  for  practical  purposes  this  surrender  to  the 
mastery  of  the  motives  of  Christ  is  the  step  that 
opens  the  way  for  the  following  experiences  in 
which  the  relationship  of  loyalty  to  Him  is  com- 
pleted. It  shows  us  what  we  may  do  on  our  side 
to  avail  ourselves  of  the  new  life  in  Christ. 

The  Master's  Motive  Our  Master  Motive 
Have  this  mind  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ 
Jesus  (Phil.  2:5). 

How  shall  we  respond  to  the  claim  that  Jesus  the 
Man,  the  Teacher,  and  the  Moral  Master  makes  upon 
us?  By  acting  constantly  from  the  motives  which 
controlled  Him  habitually. 

The  importance  of  motives. — William  James  said 
that  the  group  of  ideas  to  which  a  man  devotes  him- 
self and  from  which  he  works  habitually,  not  spas- 
modically, is  the  most  important  fact  about  him.  It 
is  the  habitual  center  of  his  personal  energy.  George 
Bernard  Shaw  said  that  what  a  man  believes  may 
be  ascertained,  not  from  his  creed,  but  from  the 
assumptions  on  which  he  habitually  acts.    Therefore 


SEBMON  OUTLINES  109 

the  way  into  moral  and  spiritual  union  with  Christ 
is  to  make  our  own  the  "  group  of  ideas "  from 
which  He  acted  habitually. 

The  Master's  motives. — At  least  three  are  clear: 
Jesus  was  constantly  sure  of  the  love,  nearness,  and 
care  of  the  Father  God.  No  failure  could  shake 
Him  from  this  working  principle.  He  was  true  to  it 
"  as  the  needle  to  the  pole."  It  was  more  real  to 
Him  than  the  dusty  roads  or  the  boats  on  the  lake. 
Again,  Jesus  never  failed  to  have  faith  in  His  fellows 
and  to  believe  in  the  worth  of  life.  He  was  no  cynic, 
no  pessimist.  There  was  no  selfish  motive  or  mood 
in  Him.  He  gave  Himself  in  boundless  love  and  serv- 
ice to  others  and  He  helped  them  so  much  because 
He  believed  in  them  so  greatly.  Again,  He  had  perfect 
confidence  in  the  final  full  triumph  of  His  Cause.  He 
was  sure  that  man  could  finally  be  brought  back  to 
the  Father  from  whom  his  sin  was  separating  him. 
He  was  sure  that  the  Kingdom  of  God,  which  He 
proclaimed  and  to  which  He  gave  His  life,  not  only 
was  worth  while  but  that  it  would  surely  conquer  the 
world  in  the  end.  He  gave  up  His  life  when  He  was 
a  young  man;  but  these  great  working  convictions 
He  never  abandoned. 

Accepting  Chrisfs  motives. — Can  we  act  habit- 
ually from  such  high  motives  as  these?  Yes.  They 
are  as  valid  now  as  they  were  when  Jesus  lived  in 
Galilee.  They  are  the  very  foundations  of  the  moral 
and  spiritual  universe.  If  they  seem  reasonable,  if 
our  affections  are  warmed  toward  them,  we  need 
only  to  choose  them  resolutely  and  firmly  act  accord- 
ing to  them  and  we  shall  experience  the  new  life  in 


110  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

Christ.     This  is  the  great  choice  by  which  we  become 
Christians. 

SERMON  SIX 

We  now  reach  the  point  at  which  we  must  bring 
out  the  distinctive  item  of  faith  that  rests  upon 
Christ  as  its  object.  It  is  clear  that  when  He  was 
living  with  His  friends  in  the  intimate  contacts  of 
daily  duties  He  made  the  relation  that  they  bore 
to  Himself  the  dominant  fact  in  the  relations  of 
disciple  and  Teacher.  He  did  not  ask  men  to  ac- 
cept truths  about  Him  or  even  principles  that  He 
taught;  He  asked  them  to  become  loyal  personal 
friends  to  Himself.  He  tested  men  by  the  character 
of  their  allegiance  to  Him.  Now  the  same  condi- 
tions obtain.  We  cannot  see  Christ;  but  we  can 
know  the  full  value  of  His  friendship  as  we 
identify  ourselves  with  Him  by  adopting  as  our 
own  the  personal  motives  according  to  which  He 
acted  habitually. 

Remind  yourself  again  how  true  it  is  that  the 
sweet  and  blessed  friendships  of  life  do  not  in- 
sistently demand  physical  contacts;  some  of  the 
holiest  comradeships  that  ever  have  been  known 
have  been  almost  entirely  in  the  realm  of  the  in- 
visible. And  it  is  precisely  as  reasonable  to  cherish 
a  friendship  with  the  Christ  whom  we  may  love  un- 
seen as  with  a  friend  to  whom  we  may  be  loyal  in 
spite  of  separation. 

We  think  now  of  a  love  and  devotion  that  has 


SEEMOK  OUTLINES  111 

existed  since  girlhood  between  two  women.  They 
have  not  seen  each  other  for  half  a  century.  It  is 
altogether  likely  that  they  might  pass  each  other  on 
the  street  and  neither  recognize  the  friend  of  the 
long  ago.  But  the  beautiful  loyalty  has  grown 
rather  than  diminished  as  the  years  have  run 
swiftly  by.  They  have  not  written  many  letters; 
they  have  seldom  exchanged  greetings  through 
mutual  friends.  All  this  has  not  been  necessary; 
they  loved  each  other ;  years  ago  they  promised  that 
they  would  forever  be  true  to  each  other  whatever 
life  might  have  in  store  for  them.  And  they  have 
kept  the  faith. 

This  is  a  poor  parable  of  the  way  in  which  Christ 
may  become  the  object  of  a  personal  devotion  that 
nothing  ever  can  extinguish.  The  writer  of  the 
text  which  we  are  to  unfold  was  sure  about  this 
experience.  He  admitted  at  the  outset  that  it  was 
loyalty  to  an  invisible  Friend ;  but  he  insisted  that 
the  allegiance  was  none  the  less  real  and  profitable. 
He  got  deep  satisfaction  out  of  it.  It  brought  him 
nothing  less  than  the  salvation  of  his  soul. 

Christ  the  Object  of  Love  and  Faith 

Jesus  Christ:  whom  not  having  seen  ye  love;  on 
whom,  though  now  ye  see  him  not,  yet  believing,  ye 
rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory:  re- 
ceiving the  end  of  your  faith,  even  the  salvation  of 
your  souls  ( i  Pet.  i :  8,  9) . 

The  unseen  but  living  Christ,  whom  the  disciples 


112  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

knew  and  trusted,  is  still  the  object  of  love  and  faith 
and  the  source  of  our  salvation. 

The  unseen  Christ  is  the  object  of  love. — Every  one 
who  responds  to  the  appeal  of  nobleness  and  beauty 
of  soul  loves  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  He  was  all  that  is 
admirable  in  His  relations  with  others.  What  He  was 
when  He  was  living  on  earth  He  must  be  still  in  His 
eternal  life.  Therefore  He  is  still  the  highest  object 
of  our  affection,  even  if  we  do  not  see  Him  or  talk 
with  Him. 

The  unseen  Christ  is  the  object  of  faith. — Men  gave 
their  utmost  loyalty  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth ;  they  "  left 
all "  to  follow  Him.  They  did  not  defend  a  theory 
about  Him ;  they  yielded  their  lives  to  Him.  The  un- 
seen, living  Christ  is  worthy  of  a  similar  surrender  of 
life  to  Him.  We  accept  what  He  tells  us  to  be  true 
and  we  give  ourselves  up  to  loyal  allegiance  to  Him. 

The  unseen  Christ  is  the  source  of  joy. — The  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  were  happy.  Others  saw 
this  and  were  attracted  to  them  by  this  fact.  Hu- 
manity yearns  for  happiness.  It  is  eager  for  joy. 
The  unseen,  living  Christ  still  has  power  to  come 
into  our  hearts,  homes,  and  all  our  social  relations 
and  give  us  the  deepest  joy  and  satisfaction.  The 
consciousness  that  we  are  united  with  Christ  in  the 
supreme  motives  of  life  gives  us  a  kind  of  happiness 
that  no  other  source  can  possibly  provide. 

The  unseen  Christ  is  the  ground  of  salvation. — 
When  Jesus  of  Nazareth  lived  in  Palestine  He  brought 
a  new  vision  and  standard  of  conduct  to  those  who 
loved  and  trusted  Him.  It  was  a  new  life,  as  if  He 
had  created  them  again.    He  helped  men   realize 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  113 

God's  purpose  for  them.  Thus  He  saved  them  from 
their  sins  and  into  wholly  new  realms  of  thought  and 
action.  The  unseen  Christ  still  does  this  for  us  when 
we  love  and  trust  Him.  A  higher  set  of  ruling 
motives  is  permanently  established  at  the  center  of 
our  habitual  action.  Thus  Christ  becomes  Saviour 
and  Master. 


SERMON  SEVEN 

What  is  the  very  essential  truth  or  fact  of  the 
Christian  religion?  We  seek  not  those  doctrines 
or  experiences  which  Christians  share  with  those 
who  belong  to  the  other  great  religions  of  the 
world,  but  rather  that  which  is  distinct  and  peculiar 
to  Christianity.  As  we  press  our  search  we  find 
that  there  are  many  respects  in  which  the  religions 
of  the  world  are  one ;  but  there  are  certain  respects 
in  which  each  one  is  distinct.  The  distinctions  may 
generally  be  reduced  to  one  or  two.  If  we  try  to 
bring  the  essential  and  the  distinct  character  of  the 
Christian  religion  into  one  item  it  may  be  stated 
thus:  Personal  relations,  invisible  but  most  real, 
between  living  persons  and  Jesus  Christ,  loved  and 
obeyed  as  Saviour  and  Lord,  which  issue  in  a 
transformed  life  for  the  individual  and  society. 
That  is,  the  true  Christian  religion  consists  es- 
sentially In  an  experience.  It  Is  a  relationship,  a 
friendship,  a  loyalty  between  persons.  Jesus  did 
not  simply  live  and  die  In  Palestine  centuries  ago. 
He  lives  and  bears  personal  relations  to  us  now. 


114  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

He  did  something  unspeakably  important  for  us 
by  His  perfect  life  and  sacrificial  death  on  earth 
in  physical  relations  with  living  men  and  women 
in  the  past;  but  He  is  doing  something  unspeak- 
ably important  with  us  and  in  us  by  His  invisible 
presence  and  power  in  spiritual  and  actual  rela- 
tions at  this  very  moment  if  we  will  join  our  wills 
with  His  to  let  Him  accomplish  His  purpose  for 
us.  This  is  the  fact  of  the  Living  Christ  which 
ought  to  be  the  most  wonderful  and  commanding 
truth  that  the  Christian  minister  preaches. 

Into  this  sermon  we  must  put  all  the  insight  and 
passion  at  our  command.  All  the  preceding  ser- 
mons have  led  up  to  it.  It  must  not  be  simply  a 
mystical  treatment  of  the  subject.  Back  it  up  by 
evidence.  Make  it  concrete.  Start  with  the  text. 
The  man  who  said  that  the  very  center  of  his  life 
was  Christ  was  alive  to  his  finger  tips.  He  did  one 
of  the  most  virile  and  constructive  pieces  of  work 
that  any  man  ever  accomplished.  He  had  the  mind 
and  the  practical  genius  of  a  modern  captain  of 
industry.    He  was  a  statesman  and  builder. 

Then  draw  on  all  the  resources  of  Christian 
biography.  Use  Livingstone  and  Mary  Slessor. 
Call  into  the  witness  box  teachers  like  Mark  Hop- 
kins; business  men  like  Samuel  B.  Capen;  the 
wonderful  type  of  young  Christian  students  like 
Hugh  McA.  Beaver;  the  men  and  women  rescued 
into  a  new  life,  like  the  characters  In  Harold  Beg- 
bie's  Twice  Born  Men,  Other  Sheep,  and  Souls  in 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  115 

Action.  The  testimonies  must  be  brief  and  direct, 
for  the  time  is  short.  But  there  are  milHons  who 
will  confirm  the  statement  that  Christ  has  become 
for  them,  not  a  doctrine  but  a  Friend,  not  a  theory 
but  a  Saviour. 

The  Living  Christ  Our  Constant  Comrade 

It  is  no  longer  I  that  live,  hut  Christ  liveth  in  me 
(Gal.  2:  20). 

The  Christian  life  is  a  ceaseless  friendship,  an 
actual  comradeship,  between  the  soul  and  the  unseen, 
personal  Christ. 

Physical  presence  is  not  essential  to  the  highest 
friendship. — It  is  highly  desirable.  It  is  the  condi- 
tion of  the  vast  majority  of  our  human  friendships. 
But  it  is  not  absolutely  essential.  The  highest  rela- 
tions of  life  are  maintained  on  the  plane  of  spiritual 
sympathy,  union  in  noble  purpose,  and  the  fusion  of 
ideals  in  the  supreme  quest  of  life. 

Jesus  promised  continued  comradeship  with  His 
disciples. — His  death  separated  Him  from  His 
friends;  but  He  prepared  them  for  this  separation 
by  the  definite  promise  to  be  with  them  in  spiritual 
union.  "And  lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world."  "  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me, 
that  they  may  be  perfected  into  one."  This  was  more 
than  vague  spiritual  influence ;  it  was  such  a  personal 
comradeship  that  those  who  experienced  it  could  be 
sure  of  it. 

Millions  of  men  have  attested  the  experience. — 
The  records  of  the  race  show  that  Jesus'  promise 
has  been  realized  in  millions  of  cases.     It  is  just  and 


116  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

logical  that  we  should  believe  that  the  ground  of  this 
experience  is  what  the  Christians  have  said  it  was, 
the  positive  union  of  the  personal  Christ  with  them- 
selves as  living  beings.  They  have  not  been  able  to 
explain  it;  but  they  have  affirmed  it  and  have  con- 
firmed their  testimony  by  their  life  and,  often,  by 
their  death. 

This  fact  satisfies  our  deepest  yearnings. — We 
know  that  we  hunger  and  thirst  for  the  satisfaction 
of  spiritual  desires.  We  cannot  live  by  bread  alone. 
And  Christ  comes  into  the  eager  heart  with  a  peace 
and  joy  that  cannot  be  described  or  defined.  He 
meets  the  deepest  desires  of  the  spirit  for  certainty 
and  power.  We  know  what  help  sometimes  comes 
to  us  from  the  great  inspiration  of  a  human  friend. 
All  this  derives  from  Christ  when  we  meet  Him  in 
the  intimate  union  of  the  spirit. 

SERMON  EIGHT 

We  have  proceeded  thus  far  to  present  Christ  as 
the  one  living  Lord  and  Master,  since  He  is  the 
revelation  and  the  reality  of  our  Christian  faith 
and  practice.  We  now  go  on  to  lay  the  basis  for 
the  full  realization  of  this  religion. 

There  may  be  preachers  v^rho  prefer  to  begin 
with  the  more  general  fact  of  religion  and  to  bring 
the  subject  of  Christ  In  after  the  disaster  of  sin  and 
the  meaning  of  salvation  have  been  discussed.  In 
this  case,  sermons  one  to  seven  could  be  used  logic- 
ally after  sermon  eleven,  and  the  sermon  we  are 
now  describing  could  be  used  as  number  one. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  117 

Having  shown  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Fact  and 
the  Doctrine  of  the  Christian  rehgion,  we  now  go 
back  to  the  fundamental  proposition  that  a  rehgion 
of  some  kind  is  the  possession  of  every  person.  It 
may  be  most  vague;  it  may  seldom  rise  into  con- 
sciousness; but  it  is  there  and  it  exerts  ceaseless 
influence  in  daily  life.  Note  carefully  the  method 
of  approach  in  this  sermon.  It  does  not  come  at 
the  congregation  with  a  criticism  or  attack.  It  is 
positive  and  conciliatory.  It  begins  by  revealing 
to  every  hearer  depths  in  his  own  nature  of  which 
he  may  not  have  been  aware.  It  tells  men,  not  that 
they  are  renegade  or  void  of  native  and  noble  im- 
pulses; it  reveals  the  yearnings  and  the  answering 
hearts  of  men  in  a  way  that  encourages  them  to 
respond  to  the  voice  of  God.  We  shall  come  to  the 
fact  of  sin  soon  and  shall  stress  it  with  all  our 
power.  But  we  start  with  the  possibihties  and  the 
encouragements  in  the  situation.  This  is  good 
pedagogy  and  good  pleading. 

We  connect  this  sermon  with  those  that  have 
preceded  by  bringing  out  the  primacy  of  Christ  as 
the  Word  of  God  to  the  yearning  souls  of  men. 
Therefore  the  method  is  logical. 

This  universal  yearning  for  God  was  put  in  the 
familiar  words  of  Longfellow's  Song  of  Hiawatha 
as  follows: 

"  Ye  whose  Hearts  are  fresh  and  simple, 
Who  believe  in  God  and  Nature, 
Who  believe,  that  in  all  ages 


118  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

Every  human  heart  is  human, 

That  in  even  savage  bosoms 

There  are  longings,  yearnings,  strivings 

For  the  good  they  comprehend  not, 

That  the  feeble  hands  and  helpless. 

Groping  blindly  in  the  darkness. 

Touch  God's  right  hand  in  that  darkness 

And  are  lifted  up  and  strengthened; — 

Listen  to  this  simple  story. 

To  this  Song  of  Hiawatha !  " 

Religion  Inevitable 

When  thou  saidst,  Seek  ye  my  face;  my  heart  said 
unto  thee.  Thy  face.  Lord,  will  I  seek  (Ps.  27:8). 

Religion  is  the  soul's  instinctive  and  inevitable  re- 
sponse to  God.  It  is  a  part  of  every  normal  life.  It 
exists  whenever  God  is  made  a  conscious  factor  in 
one's  environment.  It  is  a  communion  with  the 
Divine. 

How  has  God  spoken? — In  nature,  in  which  He 
clothes  Himself  with  a  living  garment  and  through 
which  shines  His  beauty  and  power.  In  human  ex- 
perience, as  it  is  reported  and  recorded  in  history  and 
literature.  The  past  is  not  the  record  of  chance 
events  but  the  register  of  God's  purpose  for  our 
highest  good.  In  our  inmost  souls,  where  in  our 
highest  and  best  moments  we  are  conscious  of  the 
reality  and  movement  of  something  higher  than  our- 
selves. Finally,  God  has  spoken  to  us  in  Christ,  the 
Word  of  the  Father.  In  that  perfect  life  and  match- 
less character  we  hear  most  clearly  God's  voice 
speaking  to  our  yearning  and  answering  spirits. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  119 

How  shall  we  answer  God's  voice? — First,  by  seek- 
ing in  every  possible  way  to  hear  it  more  clearly. 
We  must  keep  in  touch  and  tune  with  the  holiest  and 
noblest  facts  and  forces  in  the  universe  and  open  our 
hearts  to  the  great  avenues  of  revelation  noted  above. 
The  highest  answer  to  God's  voice  is  the  happy  and 
constant  obedience  that  we  render  to  every  truth  we 
know  or  discover.  When  we  make  the  revelation  of 
the  Father's  will  the  supreme  law  of  our  daily  life 
we  discover  still  more  fully  the  meaning  of  His  pur- 
pose. Thus  an  obedient  life  becomes  "  an  organ  of 
knowledge."  It  is  like  a  musician  learning  to  master 
his  instrument;  only  as  he  practices  constantly  and 
gives  himself  up  to  the  art  that  he  is  seeking  to 
acquire  will  he  become  the  skilled  musician.  The 
way  to  seek  God's  face  is  to  yield  our  lives  to  the 
doing  of  His  will  with  full  devotion.  Religion  is 
learned  by  doing,  as  are  all  other  great  endeavours  of 
life. 


SERMON  NINE 

It  is  apparent  that  no  religion  can  be  satisfactory 
or  enduring  that  does  not  rest  upon  a  clear  idea  of 
God.  This  does  not  demand  a  definition  of  God; 
but  it  calls  for  some  kind  of  a  description  of  His 
character  that  will  furnish  the  basis  of  our  hope 
and  confidence  in  the  relationships  which  compose 
the  experience  of  religion.  The  Christian  Gospel 
finds  the  adequate  description  of  God  in  Christ. 

This  represents  a  new  appreciation  of  the  revela- 
tion of  Christ.     The  Christian  Church  has  been 


120  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

eager  to  publish  the  fact  of  the  Godlike  Christ. 
It  must  also  proclaim  the  Christlike  God.  It  has 
been  put  in  the  following  words: 

*'  How  He  [Jesus]  strove  to  present  the  vision 
of  the  heavenly  Father  in  terms  of  moral  char- 
acter and  human  experience,  not  absolute  philoso- 
phy and  metaphysical  definition.  If  you  want  to 
know  what  God  is  like,  look  at  me !  He  said :  '  He 
that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father.'  What 
did  He  mean  by  that?  Not  that  He,  Jesus,  was 
like  God,  but  that  God  was  like  Him.     .     .     . 

"  Jesus  said :  Read  me  into  God.  So  far  as  man 
can  know  and  understand  Him,  what  I  am  He  is 
like.  In  short,  it  was  in  the  terms  of  human  ex- 
perience, moral  and  spiritual,  experience,  not  of 
a  priori  reasoning,  that  He  declared  men  could  best 
approach  Him.  How  modern  and  intelligible  that 
sounds.  The  characteristics  of  Jesus  are  not  im- 
perial power,  absolute  understanding,  for  all  His 
intellectual  subtlety  and  courageous  and  acute 
dialectic.  He  is  greatest  in  His  moral  splendour, 
His  ethical  sublimity,  and  if  we  speak  of  Him,  and 
of  His  God  and  Father,  in  these  terms,  we  are  on 
comprehensible  grounds.'*  * 

This  statement,  however,  that  God  is  like  Jesus, 
or  that  the  Gospel  is  concerned  with  a  Christlike 
God,  must  not  be  stressed  to  such  an  extent  that 
we  lose  also  the  idea  of  the  Almighty  Father. 

*  Albert  P.  Fitch,  Can  the  Church  Survive  in  the  Changing 
Order f  1920,  p.  66. 


8EEM0N  OUTLINES  121 

Clearly  the  God  of  whom  Jesus  was  aware  every 
moment  was  the  Infinite  and  the  Adorable.  Our 
Gospel  gathers  around  the  idea  of  a  great  God; 
nothing  less  than  this  ever  will  issue  in  a  great 
salvation  and  a  great  religious  experience.  We 
use  the  phrase  "  a  Christlike  God  "  to  make  the 
thought  of  God  clear  and  sublime.  Be  sure  that 
the  God  of  Jesus  was  a  Sovereign  Lord  before 
whom  we  bow  our  hearts  in  reverence  and  adora- 
tion. 

What  is  God  Like? 
He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father  (John 

14:9)- 
For  centuries  men  have  defended  the  proposition 

that  Jesus  is  like  God.     Now  we  are  learning  also 

that   God  is  like  Jesus.     We   come  to  the   Father 

through  the  matchless  human  consciousness  of  Jesus. 

There  we  find  out  what  God  is  like. 

How  can  we  see  Jesiisf — Not  with  our  physical 
eyes,  since  He  lives  no  longer  on  earth.  But  we  may 
see  Him  in  the  reports  of  His  life  and  words  as  they 
are  given  to  us  in  the  New  Testament.  By  the  use 
of  our  imagination,  picturing  Him  vividly,  we  may 
see  and  understand  Him.  Also  by  observing  the  re- 
sults of  His  influence  upon  men  now  we  may  come  to 
sense  His  life  and  character.  But  most  perfectly  by 
yielding  ourselves  to  His  service  we  feel  His  pres- 
ence and  power  upon  us  and  understand  Him. 

What  we  discover  when  we  see  Jesus. — Complete 
moral  integrity.  There  is  no  sense  or  taint  of  fault 
in  Him.    His  most  common  acts  bear  successfully 


122  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

our  closest  inspection.  Perfect  service  to  the  needs 
of  the  world  in  which  He  lived.  There  is  not  a  single 
failure  to  give  His  best  to  every  human  need  as  He 
perceived  it.  Perfect  love  for  all  His  fellows  marked 
His  human  life.  He  realized  completely  all  the  most 
exacting  requirements  of  the  Serm^on  on  the  Mount 
and  the  Golden  Rule. 

God  is  like  what  we  discover  in  Jesus. — God  is 
good.  His  moral  integrity  is  the  warrant  for  all  hu- 
man goodness.  God  desires  the  highest  welfare  of 
all  His  children.  He  gives  us  nothing  less  than  Him- 
self in  order  that  this  may  be  realized;  He  takes  a 
part  in  our  development  into  the  character  that  He 
desires  for  us.  God  is  love.  He  loves  us  in  spite  of 
our  sins;  He  loves  us  out  of  our  sins;  He  loves  us 
into  a  new  life  that  must  finally  conquer  all  sin  and 
weakness.  God  is  nearer  to  us  than  the  very  beating 
of  our  hearts.  God  is  the  chief  factor  in  our  sur- 
roundings and  the  supreme  item  in  our  conscious- 
ness. God  was  all  this  to  Jesus ;  He  can  and  will  be 
all  this  to  us.  Our  highest  name  for  God  is  "  the 
God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


SERMON  TEN 

We  now  run  straight  into  a  universal  human 
experience  which  calls  for  our  utmost  insight  and 
skill  in  understanding.  Why  does  not  the  Father 
God  of  Jesus  win  an  immediate  and  unqualified 
response  from  the  yearning  soul?  Why  does  not 
religion  become  at  once  the  dominant  and  blessed 
experience  of  every  human  being?    It  is  due  to  the 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  123 

fact  of  sin,  which  in  some  form  holds  us  all  in 
bondage  and  which  must  be  forgiven  and  eradi- 
cated if  we  are  to  enter  into  abundant  life  with 
God. 

Preaching  on  sin  has  always  been  one  of  the  dif- 
ficult tasks  of  the  pulpit,  not  because  the  fact  is 
not  apparent,  but  because  it  is  difficult  to  set  it  out 
in  such  terms  as  will  bring  conviction  and  peni- 
tence to  men.  We  suggest  the  following  approach 
to  the  subject.  The  terrible  character  of  sin  is 
due  to  the  worth  and  beauty  of  that  which  it  des- 
troys. For  example,  if  one  were  to  spill  ink  over 
an  old  mop-cloth  it  would  not  be  a  serious  matter. 
But  if  one  were  to  pour  the  same  amount  of  ink 
down  the  length  of  an  exquisite  lace  dress  the  de- 
struction would  be  irreparable.  It  was  the  same 
ink  in  both  cases;  the  difference  in  the  havoc 
wrought  was  caused  by  the  worth  of  the  fabric 
involved. 

If  two  beasts  in  the  jungle  fly  at  each  other's 
throats  and  one  of  them  dies  it  is  not  a  terrible 
loss  to  the  highest  life  of  the  human  race ;  but  when 
Booth  shoots  Lincoln  the  disaster  Is  beyond  esti- 
mate. The  difference  in  the  quality  of  the  life  in- 
volved makes  the  difference  in  the  character  of  the 
act. 

Now  this  is  the  way  in  which  to  get  a  true  con- 
ception of  the  meaning  of  sin.  It  Is  because  the 
soul  of  man  Is  so  precious  and  its  preservation  in 
all  the  wealth  of  it  so  imperative  that  the  thing  that 


124  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

destroys  it  must  be  fought  and  exterminated.  It 
is  claimed  that  we  have  lost  the  old  intensity  of  at- 
tack upon  sin,  that  the  perils  of  hell  are  no  more 
dwelt  upon  in  the  pulpit,  that  we  are  so  urgent  in 
our  statement  of  the  love  of  God  that  we  have 
made  Him  an  indulgent  "  grandmother/'  If  this 
is  so,  the  way  to  a  recovery  of  the  old  emphasis  is 
through  a  fresh  appraisal  of  the  worth  of  man  and 
the  divine  value  of  human  life.  By  as  much  as  we 
exalt  the  worth  of  the  soul  do  we  intensify  the 
peril  of  that  which  destroys  it.  So  a  true  sense  of 
sin  must  come  from  a  fresh  emphasis  upon  the 
priceless  and  eternal  worth  of  that  which  it  des- 
troys. Concerning  the  havoc  that  sin  brings 
about  in  the  individual  and  in  society  there  is  no 
doubt.  Therefore  sin  is  the  awful  and  ultimate 
enemy  of  mankind. 

The  deadly  damage  that  sin  does  in  the  soul  is 
well  illustrated  by  the  following  paragraph  from 
Men  in  War  by  Andreas  Latzko : 

"  I  remember  a  trip  I  took  before  the  war  from 
Munich  to  Vienna  on  the  Oriental  Express.  I 
looked  out  upon  the  autumnal  mellowness  of  the 
country  around  the  Bavarian  lakes  and  the  golden 
glow  of  the  Wiener  Wald.  But  across  all  this 
glory  that  I  drank  in  leaning  back  on  the  comfort- 
able seat  in  luxurious  contentment,  there  steadily 
ran  an  ugly  black  spot — a  flaw  in  the  window- 
pane." 

That  is  the  way  in  which  sin,  deep  and  deadly. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  125 

rooted  in  our  nature,  degrades  everything  to  the 
quality  of  the  background  that  it  makes,  warps  all 
the  beautiful  landscape  of  life  and  twists  into  ugly 
contortions  the  fair  shapes  of  a  world  that  would 
be  surpassingly  harmonious  without  the  flaw. 

Sundering  Sin 

For  all  have  sinned  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of 
God  (Rom.  3:23). 

Why  do  we  fail  to  answer  when  God  speaks? 
Why  do  we  not  quickly  and  completely  respond  to 
the  Father  whom  we  discover  in  Jesus  ?  It  is  due  to 
the  fact  of  sin,  which  sunders  us  from  God. 

Sin  is  universal. — In  its  grossest  forms  we  are 
aware  of  it  and  shrink  from  it.  It  finds  expression 
in  hate  and  robbery  and  lust.  But  even  those  whom 
the  world  regards  as  saints  are  also  most  keenly  con- 
scious of  their  sins.  The  literature  of  the  Christian 
people  reveals  this  deep  penitence  for  the  sins  that 
make  Christ  mourn.  Sin  clutches  all  human  life  in 
its  fell  grasp. 

Sin  is  disobedience  to  God's  will. — This  is  not  a 
definition  of  sin  but  the  description  of  one  of  its  most 
apparent  aspects.  We  ought  to  live  habitually  under 
the  reign  of  God's  will  of  perfect  love.  This  de- 
mands our  obedience.  Its  purpose  is  our  highest 
welfare.  To  thwart  that  purpose  is  to  miss  the  true 
aim  of  life.  The  New  Testament  word  for  sin 
means  "  to  miss  the  mark,"  that  is,  to  lose  the  high- 
est achievements  of  life  by  disobedience. 

Sin  is  selfishness. — Another  fundamental  aspect 
of  sin.     It  consists  in  preferring  our  own  interests 


126  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

to  those  that  are  higher,  either  the  will  of  God  or  the 
welfare  of  our  comrades.  It  refuses  to  accept  social 
obligation.  It  acts  either  from  pure  selfishness  or 
the  "  herd  instinct "  rather  than  from  the  motive  of 
unselfish  love  which  Jesus  made  the  supreme  law  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  So  it  makes  us  cold  and  vain. 
It  narrows  the  range  of  life  and  kills  all  altruism. 

Sin  is  destruction. — Such  a  selfish  and  disobedient 
motive  destroys  all  the  finer  responses  and  powers  of 
the  human  spirit.  It  cripples  our  own  loyalty  to  the 
motive  of  sacrifice,  which  has  developed  all  the 
noblest  traits  of  humanity.  It  injures  others,  whose 
well-being  is  in  our  keeping  and  whose  welfare  we 
ought  constantly  to  seek.  It  sunders  us  from  God, 
whose  moral  demand  cannot  be  satisfied  by  a  sinful 
life.  If  the  disaster  goes  on  unchecked  life  swings 
into  growing  chaos  and  ruin.  Is  there  any  way  of 
escape  ? 


SERMON  ELEVEN 

Now  we  are  ready  for  the  full  publication  of  the 
good  news  that  theu'e  is  a  way  in  which  man,  whose 
sin  has  sundered  him  from  God,  may  be  brought 
back  to  right  relations  with  the  Father.  In  pre- 
paring for  this  sermon  the  preacher  may  saturate 
his  mind  with  the  Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  as 
it  is  reported  in  Luke  16 :  11-32.  We  have  already 
noted  this  in  Chapter  I.  It  is  so  familiar  that  it 
seems  almost  unnecessary  to  cite  it  again  as  the 
great  expression  of  the  Gospel  in  story  form.  But 
the  very  fact  that  it  is  so  familiar  makes  it  all  the 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  127 

more  necessary  for  the  preacher  to  review  it  and  to 
dwell  upon  it  so  reverently  that  he  will  sense  again 
its  wonderful  meaning.  It  was  one  of  the  focal 
points  in  the  preaching  of  Phillips  Brooks,  who 
used  it  repeatedly  and  who  found  in  it  the  most 
illuminating  expression  of  the  message  and  the 
mission  of  Jesus.  It  will  reveal  new  meanings  con- 
stantly as  we  reflect  upon  it.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
exquisite  and  forceful  stories  in  all  literature. 
And  the  greatest  truth  that  ever  has  been  given  to 
humanity  is  perfectly  enshrined  in  it. 

The  point  to  be  kept  clearly  in  mind  is  that  noth- 
ing was  necessary  to  be  done  to  the  father  to 
change  his  attitude  toward  the  boy  who  had  gone 
off  into  the  far  country.  Any  objection  to  the 
word  ''  reconciliation  "  is  perfectly  met  by  the  con- 
ditions set  forth  in  the  parable.  We  have  heard 
the  idea  of  reconciliation  criticized  severely  on  the 
ground  that  it  involved  a  mutual  change  of  disposi- 
tion and  relationship.  But  no  fair  consideration 
of  the  gospel  of  reconciliation  as  it  is  presented  in 
the  New  Testament  can  possibly  warrant  this  criti- 
cism. It  is  not  the  father,  gazing  eagerly  down  the 
road  day  after  day  with  his  tired  eyes  longing  for 
the  sight  of  his  returning  boy,  who  needs  to  have 
his  heart  changed;  it  is  the  boy  at  his  miserable 
business  In  the  far  country  who  must  have  a  new 
heart.  And  when  that  came  he  set  out  for  home; 
the  reconciliation  was  brought  about  in  the  arms  of 
his  forgiving  father. 


128  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHIKG 

Good  News 

God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  him- 
self (2  Cor.  5: 19). 

This  is  one  of  many  interpretations  of  "  the  Gos- 
pel." The  meaning  of  this  word  has  become  so 
frayed  and  worn  that  its  early  meaning  is  almost 
gone.  To  its  early  users  it  was  a  kindling  and  holy 
word.     What  does  it  mean? 

God  and  man,  sundered  through  sin,  may  he  recon- 
ciled.— God's  love  is  strong  enough  to  find  a  way  to 
the  citadel  of  man's  will  and  change  its  supreme  de- 
cisions. Selfishness  can  be  overcome,  lawlessness 
can  be  conquered,  and  the  course  of  life,  which  has 
been  missing  the  mark,  can  be  so  changed  that  its 
true  objective  will  be  reached.  Thus  man  may  be 
brought  back  to  God.     This  is  good  news. 

This  reconciliation  is  wrought  through  Christ. — 
God  wanted  to  prove  His  love  for  man  and  His  pur- 
pose to  save  him  from  sin.  So  God  took  on,  or 
clothed  Himself  in  human  form  in  order  that  His 
compelling  love  and  saving  purpose  might  be  clear 
beyond  doubt.  Christ  is  the  world's  Saviour.  In 
Him  alone  is  the  way  to  a  new  life.  That  way  is 
easy  to  find.     This  is  good  news. 

By  trust  and  obedience  we  receive  the  reconcilia- 
tion.— On  our  part  we  must  trust  the  good  news  so 
fully  that  we  yield  ourselves  to  it.  We  must  be- 
lieve to  the  extent  of  personal  loyalty.  Obedience 
to  the  good  news  means  that  we  make  it  a  way  of 
life.  The  Gospel  comes  with  a  command.  It  calls 
for  changes  in  conduct.  Thus  the  ruin  of  sin  is  re- 
paired.   This  is  good  news. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  129 

The  reconciliation  is  for  the  whole  world. — Not 
for  a  selected  group  of  persons;  not  for  a  particular 
race  or  religious  class ;  not  for  humanity  alone/  but 
for  all  the  world.  The  scope  of  the  Gospel  is  the 
reach  of  all  creation.     This  is  good  news. 

SERMON  TWELVE 

When  Jesus  told  the  story  of  the  sower  He  was 
labouring  under  a  deep  concern  for  the  result  of 
His  message  in  the  lives  of  the  people  who  were 
crowding  around  to  hear  Him.  He  knew  that  the 
result  would  be  conditioned  by  the  way  in  which 
they  heard  His  words  and  understood  their  deep 
meaning.  He  wanted  to  have  them  understand 
and  respond;  but  this  would  depend  upon  the  at- 
tention that  they  gave,  the  kind  of  ideas  with  which 
the  truth  in  His  message  was  able  to  connect,  and 
the  response  by  appropriate  action  that  they  re- 
turned to  the  message. 

Precisely  the  same  conditions  obtain  now  in  any 
community  where  the  preacher  of  the  Christian 
Gospel  is  publishing  the  good  news.  He  will  get 
varied  responses;  and  these  responses  will  deter- 
mine the  results  of  the  message  in  the  lives  of  those 
who  hear  him.  This  is  the  warrant  for  a  sermon 
at  this  point  on  the  right  response  to  the  Gospel. 
The  Parable  of  the  Soils  furnishes  the  best  of  texts 
for  this  purpose. 

Our  warrant  for  this  sermon  lies  in  the  fact  that, 
while  the  soil  of  the  field,  which  Jesus  used  for  an 


130  EVANGELISTIC  PKEAOIIING 

illustration  of  His  great  principle,  was  c[uite  power- 
less to  change  its  character,  the  human  mind  can  be 
changed  by  the  action  of  the  person  himself.  The 
hard  and  shallow  and  preoccupied  soil  was  no  more 
responsible  for  its  condition  than  was  the  fertile 
ground.  But  men  and  women  can  change  the 
character  of  their  response  to  the  claim  of  the 
truth.  This  must  be  borne  in  mind  as  we  prepare 
the  sermon.  Every  parable  breaks  down  some- 
where, and  all  analogies  which  attempt  to  describe 
human  life  according  to  that  of  the  lower  kingdoms 
in  nature  fail  at  the  point  of  volition. 

Therefore  this  sermon  must  lay  great  emphasis 
upon  the  power  of  the  individual  to  control  the  in- 
fluence of  the  truth  upon  him.  There  is  a  cow- 
ardly tendency  in  all  men  to  shift  the  weight  of 
personal  responsibility  upon  either  heredity  or  sur- 
roundings. It  is  undoubtedly  a  fact  that  our  re- 
sponse to  truth  is  conditioned  upon  our  inheritance 
and  our  circumstances;  but  on  the  whole  we  are 
equipped  to  bear  the  responsibility  of  making  deci- 
sions and  we  can  choose  the  loyalties  which  will 
master  our  lives.  We  are  able  to  decide  for  Christ. 
Make  this  option  clear  in  the  sermon  and  press  for 
the  decision  of  the  supreme  question  which  every 
individual  is  able  to  make  for  himself. 

Parable  of  the  Soils 
Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear  (Mark  4:9). 
What  kind  of  a  response  will  the  good  news  re- 


BEKMON  OUTLINES  131 

ceive?  This  depends  on  the  kind  of  mind  with 
which  we  attend  to  it.  Jesus  set  forth  this  truth  in 
the  story  of  the  four  kinds  of  soil  into  which  the 
good  seed  of  the  Gospel  fell. 

The  hardened  mind. — Like  the  pathway,  beaten 
down  by  daily  work  and  the  pressure  of  heavy  bur- 
dens. No  response  to  deep  appeals  or  high  enthusi- 
asms because  the  mind  has  been  rendered  inert 
through  ceaseless  pressure  by  the  beating  of  routme 
labour.  We  must  break  up  the  hardened  areas  of  life 
by  cultivating  imagination  and  vision. 

The  shallow  mind. — Like  the  rocky  soil  with  thin 
earth  over  the  ledge,  responds  quickly  to  any  stimu- 
lus. Easily  moved  by  an  emotional  appeal.  Cannot 
carry  out  its  decisions  in  sustained  action.  No  re- 
liance to  be  placed  upon  it  for  permanence  or  en- 
durance. Deceives  through  its  lack  of  power  to 
"  carry  on."  We  must  train  the  will  so  that  it  will 
make  permanent  decisions.  .Strengthen  our  resolu- 
tion and  persistence  by  holding  on  stubbornly  when 
we  might  easily  let  go. 

The  preoccupied  mind. — Like  the  soil,  full  of  the 
old  roots.  As  soon  as  natural  conditions  cause  the 
seed  to  sprout  the  old  brambles  appear  and  the  young 
plants  have  no  chance.  We  are  congested  with  in- 
terests and  activities  in  these  busy  days.  We  allow 
so  many  to  take  up  our  time  and  strength  that  the 
supreme  matters  are  crowded  out.  We  must  dis- 
criminate more  carefully  and  put  first  things  first. 

The  fertile  mind. — The  larger  part  of  the  field  is 
good  soil.  It  responds  to  the  seed  with  the  resources 
which  cause  it  to  spring  into  life.  The  Gospel  tends 
to  find  root;  to  grow  steadily;  to  yield  fruit.     We 


132  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

must  increase  the  fertile  areas.     We  must  cooperate 
with  God  to  make  our  life  rich  in  Christian  fruitage. 


SERMON  THIRTEEN 

The  right  response  of  the  mind  to  which  the 
Gospel  is  addressed  is  the  act  which  we  commonly 
give  the  name  repentance.  At  this  point  in  the 
publication  of  the  good  news  in  the  community, 
therefore,  we  ought  to  consider  what  this  action  is 
and  how  radically  it  involves  all  the  powers  of  the 
personality. 

It  is  most  accurately  described  in  the  words  "  a 
new  mind."  But  we  must  define  carefully  what 
we  mean  by  "  mind."  It  is  a  word  of  vital  signifi- 
cance in  the  vocabulary  of  the  Christian  religion. 
We  have  discussed  it  in  sermon  five.  There  we 
saw  that  it  does  not  mean  merely  the  set  of  ideas 
with  which  our  minds  are  furnished,  but  rather  the 
set  of  motives  according  to  which  we  act  habitu- 
ally. The  ruling  purposes  of  daily  living  are  the 
real  content  of  the  "  mind  "  as  we  use  it  here  in 
reference  to  repentance. 

In  preparing  this  sermon  we  must  stress  the 
place  that  the  will  occupies  in  the  process  of  re- 
pentance. It  is  a  clear  conviction,  backed  by  a  pro- 
found feeling,  and  all  cast  into  a  resolute  decision 
that  issues  in  a  complete  change  in  the  motives 
which  ordinarily  govern  our  conduct.  This  makes 
repentance  an  act  of  such  thoroughgoing  intention 


SERMON  OUTLINES  133 

that  it  brings  nothing  less  than  a  shift  in  the  center 
of  interest  and  desire.  It  places  new  objects  be- 
fore us  as  the  goal  of  endeavour.  It  is  revolution- 
ary in  the  deepest  sense  of  that  word. 

G.  H.  C.  MacGregor  has  a  clear  study  of  re- 
pentance in  his  little  book  Into  His  Likeness.  He 
describes  the  legal  call  to  repentance  in  the  familiar 
words,  ''Amend  your  ways  and  your  doings." 
This  is  the  command  of  the  law.  But  there  is  a 
deeper  call  than  this,  which  is  characteristic  of  the 
New  Testament.  It  was  "  uttered  first  in  its  full- 
ness when  our  Lord,  taking  up  the  Baptist's  work, 
proclaimed,  *  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand ; 
repent  ye,  and  believe  the  Gospel.'  It  concerns  it- 
self with  the  inner  thoughts  and  feelings.  It 
strikes  at  the  life  ere  it  manifests  itself  in  action. 
It  keeps  close  to  the  etymology  of  the  Greek  word. 
It  cries  not,  *  Change  your  actions,'  but  *  Change 
your  minds,'  It  does  not  say,  '  Thou  shalt  not  take 
the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain ' ;  it  says, 
*  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart.'  It  does  not  say,  *  Thou  shalt  not  kill ' ;  it 
says,  *  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.' 
Its  demand  is  not  so  much  '  Do  new  deeds,'  as  'Act 
from  new  principles.'  I  call  it  evangelical,  because 
it  springs  out  of  that  doctrine  which  is  the  founda- 
tion of  all  evangelical  religion:  *  Except  a  man  be 
born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  Kingdom  of  God.'  " 

Therefore  repentance  means  a  change  of  mind 
toward  God,  toward  duty  and  also  toward  Christ. 


134  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

We  must  think  differently  about  sin.  We  must 
not  only  hate  it  but  we  must  also  with  the  deepest 
resolution  turn  away  from  it.  This  includes  also 
a  change  of  mind  toward  the  Saviour  from  sin.  It 
means  that  we  are  ready  to  let  Christ  do  something 
for  us.  This  involves  a  fundamental  decision. 
We  shift  the  whole  balance  of  our  life  to  the  side 
of  a  new  set  of  ideas  which  govern  us  habitually  in 
our  conduct.  Toward  this  decision  the  sermon 
should  point  the  congregation. 

A  New  Mind 

The  goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  repentance, 
(Rom.  2:4). 

Sin  separates  men  from  God.  The  Father's  mighty 
love,  revealed  in  Christ,  brings  him  back.  This  in- 
volves a  deep,  inward  change,  repentance.  What 
is  it? 

Negatively. — It  is  not  simply  sorrow  for  the  fact 
that  we  are  caught  in  the  mesh  of  our  sin  and  dis- 
graced. Repentance  sometimes  goes  no  deeper  than 
this.     No  lasting  change  results.     It  is  cowardly. 

It  Is  not  simply  sorrow  for  the  wrong  act  or  mo- 
tive that  led  to  the  act.  This  Is  deeper  than  sorrow 
for  consequences.  It  tends  to  hold  us  from  com- 
mitting the  same  wrong  act  again.  Not  radical 
enough. 

It  is  not  simply  a  resolution  not  to  cherish  the  evil 
motive  or  do  the  wrong  act  again.  This  Is  a  neces- 
sary part  of  repentance ;  but  It  is  not  the  root  of  it. 

Positively. — Repentance  Involves  a  complete 
change  of  mind  or  ruling  pui-pose  of  action.     It  re- 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  135 

verses  the  scale  of  values  according  to  which  we 
have  acted  in  the  past.  It  is  the  resolute  decision 
to  regulate  our  conduct  by  a  new  set  of  principles. 
Repentance  sets  new  objects  before  us  and  enthrones 
a  new  series  of  positive  purposes  at  the  center  of  our 
habitual  activity.  The  word  for  repentance  means 
a  new  mind,  that  is  a  complete  change  in  the  funda- 
mental convictions  with  which  we  do  regular  busi- 
ness in  the  control  of  daily  life. 

God's  goodness  leads  tts  to  repentance. — We  are 
not  frightened  or  forced  into  this  new  way  of  living. 
We  are  won  to  it  by  the  compelling  power  of  the  love 
of  the  Father.  God's  goodness  is  the  one  final  force 
that  makes  us  good. 


SERMON  FOURTEEN 

We  follow  up  in  sermon  fourteen  the  central 
idea  in  the  discussion  of  repentance,  namely,  that 
it  is  an  act  of  such  profound  and  inclusive  meaning 
that  it  involves  a  practical  dedication  of  life  to  a 
new  set  of  ideals  and  principles.  This  calls  for 
surrender  or  obedience. 

The  first  impression  made  upon  us  by  the  idea 
of  surrender  is  not  a  happy  one.  It  stands  for  the 
yielding  of  our  liberties;  and  this  Is  something  that 
does  not  find  ready  consent.  Therefore  the  prin- 
ciple to  be  cleared  up  In  our  thinking  Is  that  the 
path  to  the  largest  freedom  Is  through  the  accept- 
ance of  obligation.  It  Is  summed  up  In  the  famil- 
iar words  describing  the  Christian  life  of  loyalty 


136  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

to  Christ,  *'  whose  service  is  perfect  freedom." 
How  can  service,  which  must  consist  in  yielding  to 
obHgation  and  devotion  to  practical  efforts  of  min- 
istry, be  consistent  with  freedom  and  actually  re- 
sult in  the  highest  freedom?  This  is  one  of  the 
paradoxes  of  life;  but  there  is  no  truth  that  finds 
more  constant  confirmation  in  our  daily  life  than 
this.  We  see  it  illustrated  in  our  homes  every  day. 
The  member  of  the  family  who  accepts  the  com- 
mon purpose  of  the  group  and  makes  it  most  fully 
his  is  the  one  whose  life  in  the  home  is  the  freest 
and  happiest.  Take  so  apparently  trivial  a  matter 
as  getting  out  of  bed  promptly,  sharing  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  family  cheerfully  at  breakfast,  and  go- 
ing about  the  day's  duties  in  the  right  spirit.  This 
seems  to  be  the  path  of  surrender;  it  is  actually  the 
only  path  to  freedom. 

It  is  like  the  planets  in  the  solar  system.  Their 
beauty  and  permanence  are  the  result  of  the  yield- 
ing of  each  to  the  ordering  pull  of  gravitation. 
Each  does  not  go  its  own  way ;  but  all  go  the  ways 
that  together  make  up  the  "  system  "  of  the  plan- 
etary universe. 

The  tyrant  Nero  tried  to  degrade  some  of  the 
great  Roman  nobles  to  as  low  a  level  as  his  own,  by 
making  them  appear  as  actors  in  the  arena  on  the 
stage.  To  disobey  was  death.  Florus  was  bidden 
thus  to  appear,  and,  doubting  whether  to  obe}^  con- 
sulted the  virtuous  and  resolute  Agrippinus.  "  Go, 
by  all  means,"  answered  Agrippinus.    "  Well,  but," 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  137 

replied  Florus  with  astonishment,  ''  you  yourself 
refused  to  obey."  "  Yes,"  answered  Agrippinus, 
"  because  I  did  not  deliberate  about  it."  The  cate- 
gorical imperative,  the  naked,  absolute  imperative 
of  duty  must  be  implicitly,  unquestioningly,  in- 
stantly, obeyed.  To  deliberate  about  it  is  to  be 
secret  traitor ;  and  the  line  which  separates  the  se- 
cret traitor  from  the  open  rebel  is  thin  as  the 
spider's  web. 

Obedience  the  Test  of  Love 

Why  call  ye  me  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things 
that  I  say?  (Luke  6:46). 

It  is  easy  to  announce  one's  loyalty  by  one's  words. 
The  final  act  of  allegiance  consists  in  obedience  with 
the  changes  in  conduct  and  character  that  issue 
from  it. 

Obedience  is  the  universal  test  of  life. — In  master- 
ing the  world  we  must  obey  its  laws,  as  a  child  learns 
to  walk  by  conforming  to  the  laws  that  govern  the 
physical  world.  In  study  we  must  obey  the  prin- 
ciples learned  and  the  propositions  proved  in  order 
to  make  progress.  In  industry,  as  we  learn  a  trade 
we  use  the  skill  acquired  as  the  means  of  further  ad- 
vance. In  personal  friendship  we  always  have  to 
submit  ourselves  to  the  needs  and  desires  of  others 
in  order  to  make  the  friendship  strong  and  lasting. 
In  moral  relations  it  is  not  enough  to  know  what  is 
right ;  we  must  submit  to  the  right  and  do  it.  So  in 
the  Christian  life  obedience  is  the  test  of  love  and  the 
condition  of  growth. 

Christ  commands  us. — Jesus  is  an  Example ;  but  He 


138  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

is  also  Lord  and  Master.  Christ  brings  new  laws  to 
govern  the  daily  life  of  men.  These  principles  make 
a  practical  demand  upon  us  and  effect  a  difference  in 
our  behaviour.  It  is  serious  business  to  follow  Christ 
because  we  must  yield  ourselves  so  completely  to  the 
principles  which  He  proposes.  We  must  give  our- 
selves up  to  Him  in  the  joy  and  devotion  of  a  per- 
sonal surrender. 

Obedience  is  the  supreme  item  in  our  confession 
of  Christ. — Words  are  easily  spoken.  It  is  not  dif- 
ficult to  unite  with  others  ii.  an  institution  or  to 
carry  out  a  program  of  religious  activities.  The  test 
of  all  our  theories  and  creeds  is  the  kind  of  life  that 
issues  from  them.  They  are  the  inspiring  sources  of 
action ;  but  the  action  itself  is  the  proof  of  the  quality 
and  power  of  the  principle.  The  community  right- 
fully demands  that  we  shall  not  only  reflect  but  re- 
peat the  spirit  and  the  conduct  of  Jesus.  We  cannot 
do  this  unless  we  yield  ourselves  completely  to  Him. 
What  did  He  say  about  the  cultivation  of  our  per- 
sonal character;  our  daily  dealings  with  men;  our 
practice  of  justice ;  our  willingness  to  follow  Him  to 
the  limit?  Are  we  obeying  our  Master's  commands 
in  these  and  other  respects? 


SERMON  FIFTEEN 

Few  religious  ideas  are  more  constantly  misused 
than  the  conception  of  faith.  It  is  commonly 
made  to  connote  the  acceptance  of  something  that 
is  unreasonable  and  even  absurd.  It  Is  set  over 
against  reason  and  one  Is  asked  to  choose  whether 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  139 

he  will  be  governed  by  his  rational  faculties  or  his 
credulity. 

But  as  a  matter  of  fact  faith  is  trust  in  an  object 
which  is  worthy  of  confidence  although  it  may  not 
be  capable  of  proof  or  demonstration.  Faith  is 
essentially  an  act  of  the  whole  personality  in  which 
we  commit  ourselves  to  the  object  defined  by  the 
faith.  It  is  what  Horace  Bushnell  called  "the 
faith  of  a  transaction."  This  great  preacher  set 
the  matter  forth  so  clearly  that  we  quote  from  his 
sermons. 

"  The  Christian  facts  are  stored  in  history,  and 
are  scarcely  more  significant  to  us  than  if  they 
were  stored  in  the  moon.  What  is  wanted  just 
here  in  the  case  of  Christ,  and  what  also  is  justified 
and  even  required  by  the  facts  of  His  life,  is  a 
faith  that  goes  beyond  the  mere  evidence  of  propo- 
sitions or  propositional  verities  about  Christ, — the 
faith  of  a  transaction;  and  this  faith  is  Christian 
faith.  It  is  the  act  of  trust  by  zvhich  one  being,  a 
sinner,  commits  himself  to  another  being,  a  Sa- 
viour. It  is  not  mind  dealing  with  notions  or  na- 
tional truths.  It  IS  what  cannot  be  a  proposition  at 
all.  But  it  is  being  trusting  itself  to  being,  and  so 
becoming  other  and  different  by  a  relation  wholly 
transactional. 

"  If  a  man  comes  to  a  banker  with  a  letter  of 
credit  from  some  other  banker,  that  letter  may  be 
read  and  seen  to  be  a  real  letter.  The  signature  also 
may  be  approved,  and  the  credits  of  the  drawing 


140  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

party  honoured  by  the  other  as  being  wholly  reli- 
able. So  far  what  is  done  is  merely  opinionative 
or  notional,  and  there  is  no  transactional  faith. 
And  yet  there  is  a  good  preparation  for  this;  just 
that  is  done  which  makes  it  intelligent.  When  the 
receiving  party  therefore  accepts  the  letter  and  in- 
trusts himself  actually  to  the  drawing  party  in  so 
much  money,  there  is  the  real  act  of  faith,  an  act 
which  answers  to  the  operative  or  transactional 
faith  of  a  disciple. 

"Another  and  perhaps  better  illustration  may  be 
taken  from  the  patient  or  sick  person  as  related  to 
his  physician.  He  sends  for  a  physician  just  be- 
cause he  has  been  led  to  have  a  certain  favourable 
opinion  of  his  faithfulness  and  capacity.  But  the 
suffering  him  to  feel  his  pulse,  investigate  his 
symptoms  and  make  the  diagnosis  of  his  disease, 
imports  nothing.  It  is  only  the  committing  of  his 
being  and  life  to  this  other  being,  consenting  to  re- 
ceive and  take  his  medicine,  that  imports  a  real 
faith,  the  faith  of  a  transaction."  * 

This  is  the  aspect  of  Christian  faith  that  we  seek 
to  present  so  clearly  that  it  will  no  longer  appear  as 
simply  the  assent  to  something  undemonstrated  by 
the  mind,  but  an  act  in  which  the  whole  being  is 
committed  to  a  new  relationship  with  Christ. 

Faith  That  Saves 
By  grace  have  ye  been  saved  through  faith  (Eph. 
2:8). 

^Sermons  for  the  New  Life,  p.  94. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  141 

When  we  speak  of  "  salvation  by  faith  "  we  mean 
only  that  faith  is  the  means  by  which  the  result  is 
realized.  The  source  is  the  gracious  love  of  God. 
We  are  put  into  relations  with  this  source,  however, 
by  the  act  of  faith. 

Faith  involves  an  idea  about  Christ. — In  analyzing 
the  complex  act  of  faith  we  cannot  always  affirm 
which  factor  comes  first;  but  all  are  present  in  the 
complete  transaction.  There  is  an  approval  of  the 
claims  of  Christ  by  our  minds.  He  has  created  a 
favourable  impression  upon  us.  A  decision  to  follow 
Him  seems  logically  valid. 

Faith  involves  a  feeling  toward  Christ. — Our  emo- 
tions follow  our  minds.  There  is  a  warmth  and  glow 
of  feeling.  Christ  seems  to  be  lovely.  He  is  desir- 
able, like  any  object  that  has  evoked  our  love.  This 
draws  us  toward  Him.  We  are  happy  in  the  ap- 
proach. 

Faith  involves  a  decision  for  Christ. — The  will  ap- 
proves by  a  positive  decision  what  the  mind  has  ac- 
cepted and  the  feelings  have  desired.  This  decision 
embraces  the  whole  personality  and  commits  one  to 
a  personal  relationship.  It  is  often  called  "  the  faith 
of  a  transaction."  It  is  trust.  It  calls  for  loyalty. 
It  is  like  the  highest  human  friendship  of  which  we 
are  capable. 

Faith  grows  through  experience. — Faith  is  like  all 
vital  experiences;  it  develops  and  is  perfected 
through  its  exercise.  The  faith  of  maturity  is  not 
the  faith  of  childhood.  Courage  and  confidence  come 
from  the  exercise  of  faith.  It  is  necessary  to  trust 
more  fully  in  order  to  have  the  power  of  trusting  in- 
creased. 


142  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

SERMON  SIXTEEN 

In  the  sixteenth  sermon  we  come  to  the  matter 
of  an  open  confession  of  allegiance  or  loyalty  to 
Christ.  In  preparing  the  sermon  we  will  think 
through  the  fact  that  Jesus  has  a  claim  upon  us 
which  we  simply  cannot  ignore  or  decline  to  con- 
sider. It  has  been  put  in  the  following  way  by 
P.  Carnegie  Simpson  in  The  Pact  of  Christ: 

"  The  more  we  candidly  keep  our  hearts  and 
minds  and  consciences  open  to  the  impression  that 
even  an  historical  appreciation  of  the  fact  of  Christ 
makes  upon  them,  the  more  does  that  impression 
turn  to  moral  issues  within  us.  We  had  thought 
intellectually  to  examine  Him ;  we  find  He  is  spir- 
itually examining  us.  .  .  .  We  study  Aris- 
totle and  are  intellectually  edified  thereby ;  we  study 
Jesus  and  are,  in  the  profoundest  way,  spiritually 
disturbed.  The  question — apparently  so  inno- 
cently historical  and  morally  non-committal — of 
'What  think  ye  of  Christ?*  passes  into  the  most 
morally  practical  and  personal  of  questions:  '  What 
shall  I  then  do  with  Him? '  And  this  presses  for 
an  answer.  ...  A  man  may  study  Jesus  with 
intellectual  impartiality ;  he  cannot  do  it  with  moral 
neutrality.  If  the  words,  the  character,  the  person 
of  Jesus  at  all  awaken  within  us  such  issues  as 
these,  we  cannot  go  on,  nor  can  we  even  leave  off, 
as  if  they  never  had  been  raised.  Such  questions, 
once  raised,  do  have  their  answer ;  to  try  to  ignore 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  143 

them  is  an  answer  as  real  as  any  other.  And  thus 
it  is  that,  as  I  say,  we  are  compelled  to  take  up 
some  attitude  toward  this  fact  of  Christ." 

Therefore  the  purpose  of  this  sermon  is  to  make 
clear  the  inevitable  decision  which  must  be  reached 
by  any  one  who  faces  the  moral  and  spiritual  claims 
of  Jesus.  It  must  appear  that  to  postpone  a  deci- 
sion or  to  ignore  a  decision  is  really  to  make  one, 
since  neutrality  is  impossible  and  the  whole  issue  is 
too  great  and  urgent  to  be  allowed  to  go  by  default. 
There  are  some  truths  that  are  so  imperative  that 
they  must  be  met  and  action  in  reference  to  them 
settled;  this  fact  of  Christ  and  His  mighty  claim 
upon  our  love  and  service  is  such  a  truth.  The 
sermon  on  Confession  of  Christ  must  be  filled  with 
this  urgency  and  keyed  to  the  note  of  confident  ex- 
pectation that  when  men  actually  face  the  claim  of 
Christ  they  will  yield  to  it. 

True  to  the  Colours 

Every  one  therefore  who  shall  confess  me  before 
men,  him  will  I  also  confess  before  my  Father  who 
is  in  heaven  (Matt.  lo:  32). 

Open  loyalty  is  a  practical  test  of  love.  Our  "  con- 
fession of  faith  "  is  the  affirmation  of  our  loyalty  to 
Christ  and  His  Kingdom.  He  asked  His  disciples 
to  be  true  to  their  standards. 

Why  should  we  confess  Christ? — In  order  to  de- 
fine our  position  before  our  comrades.  The  world 
has  the  right  to  know  where  we  stand  in  reference  to 
the  supreme  problems.     A  "trimmer"  never  is  re- 


144  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

spected.  We  must  prove  our  loyalty  to  Christ  by 
expressing  our  allegiance  to  Him  and  recording  our- 
selves as  champions  of  His  Cause.  Our  confession 
sets  a  standard  toward  v^hich  we  strive  and  there- 
fore gives  us  precise  aims  and  positive  purposes. 

How  shall  zve  confess  Christ? — By  our  loyal 
words.  Men  estimate  our  loyalties  first  by  what  we 
say.  Therefore  it  is  the  right  thing  to  speak  out 
boldly  our  inmost  loyalty  to  Christ.  We  prove  the 
reality  of  our  words  by  our  conduct.  Therefore  our 
actions  are  confessions  of  faith.  When  we  do  what 
Jesus  commands  out  of  loyalty  to  Him  we  are  true 
to  the  colours.  Then  we  confirm  our  loyalty  by  the 
personal  and  specific  service  that  we  render  to  Christ, 
especially  in  introducing  others  to  Him  as  Master. 
The  first  disciples  were  made  in  this  way.  We  could 
not  try  to  bring  others  into  an  allegiance  in  which 
we  ourselves  had  no  confidence.  The  greatest  need 
of  the  churches  now  is  a  more  constant  and  loyal 
testimony  to  Christ  on  the  part  of  His  disciples. 

What  are  the  results  of  confessing  Christ? — It  de- 
fines and  strengthens  our  own  faith  and  practice. 
When  we  openly  take  a  stand  for  any  truth  we  are 
clarified  in  our  thinking  and  sustained  in  our  prac- 
tical duties.  The  best  way  to  appreciate  any  idea  Is 
to  make  some  positive  statement  and  perform  some 
service  in  its  behalf.  Open  confession  Is  the  surest 
proof  of  the  claims  of  Christ  upon  others  and  the 
greatest  human  Influence  to  lead  them  to  Him. 
Other  disciples  are  always  made  as  a  result  of  brave 
and  loving  testimony.  Open  confession  gives  the 
highest  honour  to  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord.    When 


SERMON  OUTLINES  146 

we  stand  squarely  for  Him  and  speak  and  act  boldly 
in  His  behalf  we  show  Him  the  highest  honour. 
Loyalty  is  the  key  to  the  Christian  life. 

SERMON  SEVENTEEN 

Up  to  this  point  we  have  been  concerned  with  the 
presentation  of  the  Gospel  as  a  message  and  the 
way  in  which  it  is  to  be  appropriated  through  the 
yielding  of  the  whole  personality  in  a  new  rela- 
tionship with  the  living  Christ.  This  acceptance 
of  His  motives  as  ours  marks  the  beginning  of  a 
life  that  is  so  new  and  beautiful  that  Paul  in  sheer 
joy  called  it  "  a  new  creation."  The  best  descrip- 
tion of  this  experience  is  to  call  it  the  "  Christian 
life." 

Like  all  forms  of  life,  therefore,  the  Christian 
experience  is  subject  to  the  laws  of  development. 
There  is  an  ideal  toward  the  realization  of  which  it 
steadily  works. 

The  briefest  statement  of  this  supreme  objective 
of  the  Christian  is  to  say  that  we  seek  to  be  con- 
formed to  the  character  of  Christ.  Christians  can 
be  fully  satisfied  with  nothing  less.  We  shall  de- 
vote two  sermons  to  the  definition  of  the  goal  of 
the  Christian  life ;  but  both  are  simply  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  proposition  that  the  Christian  is  to 
seek  to  become  like  his  Master. 

In  preparing  these  two  sermons  the  preacher  will 
keep  clearly  in  his  mind  the  value  of  the  objectives 
that  we  must  deliberately  set  out  to  vv^in  in  life. 


146  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

*'  Life  toward  a  clear-purposed  goal/*  Matthew 
Arnold  called  it.  Such  a  definition  of  the  domi- 
nant purpose  of  life  is  imperative  if  we  are  to  suc- 
ceed in  making  our  work  in  the  world  count. 

The  best  way  in  which  to  make  this  Christian 
ideal  vivid  and  commanding  is  to  show  how  it  has 
actually  been  the  objective  and  the  passion  of  Chris- 
tian men  and  women  ever  since  the  time  when  Paul 
defined  it  for  the  first  time.  A  conspicuous  ex- 
ample of  this  is  Arthur  Frame  Jackson,  who  died 
in  China  in  1911  when  he  was  only  twenty-six 
years  old,  giving  his  life  for  the  people  during  a 
terrible  attack  of  plague.  The  Viceroy,  a  follower 
of  Confucius,  said  concerning  Jackson: 

"  We  have  shown  ourselves  unworthy  of  the 
great  trust  laid  upon  us  by  our  Emperor.  We 
have  allowed  a  dire  pestilence  to  overrun  the  sacred 
capital.  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Great  Britain 
shows  sympathy  with  every  country  when  calamity 
overtakes  it;  his  subject.  Dr.  Jackson,  moved  by 
his  Sovereign's  spirit,  and  with  the  heart  of  the 
Saviour,  who  gave  His  life  to  deliver  the  world, 
responded  nobly  when  we  asked  him  to  help  our 
country  in  its  need." 

To  this  wonderful  tribute  from  the  official.  Dr. 
Jackson's  biographer  adds: 

"  To  me  the  remarkable  fact  about  these  tributes 
is  this — that  they  all  get  behind  his  sacrificial  act  to 
the  central  fact  of  the  Christian  religion.  The 
eyes  of  these  men  were  opened,  and  they  saw  an- 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  147 

other  Man,  and  He  was  on  a  Cross.  Thus  in  a  day 
Christ  Crucified  was  preached  to  milHons,  for  the 
eyes  of  China  were  upon  Moukden  at  that  hour."  * 
There  are  scores  of  similar  illustrations  to  be 
found.  The  essential  Christian  ideal  is  being  real- 
ized now  as  it  has  been  steadily  from  the  beginning. 
We  are  too  slow  to  bring  the  evidence  forward  in 
its  convincing  power. 

The  Christian  Ideal  of  Life 

And  this  I  pray,  that  your  love  may  abound  yet 
more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  all  discernment; 
so  that  ye  may  approve  the  things  that  are  excellent; 
that  ye  may  he  sincere  and  void  of  offense  unto  the 
day  of  Christ;  being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  right- 
eousness, which  are  through  Jesus  Christ,  unto  the 
glory  and  praise  of  God  (Phil.  1:9-11). 

This  was  Paul's  ideal  for  his  friends  in  Philippi; 
but  it  is  still  an  adequate  ideal  for  the  friends  of 
Christ. 

Abounding  love. — This  is  the  first  essential  for  the 
Christian  life,  as  it  has  been  from  the  beginning. 
Christ  was  the  resistless  and  undiscouraged  Lover 
of  men.  His  disciples  must  follow  Him  in  this  re- 
spect. We  must  love  abundantly;  love  all  kinds  of 
persons;  love  at  the  cost  of  service  and  sacrifice. 
This  is  the  spirit  and  habit  of  the  followers  of 
Christ. 

Knowledge  and  discernment. — Christian  love  is  not 
ignorant  or  reckless.     It   calls   for  knowledge  and 

'Alfred  J.  Costain,  The  Life  of  Dr.  Arthur  Jackson  of 
Manchuria. 


148  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

discernment  or  insight.  Each  is  necessary  to  the 
other.  The  surest  way  to  know  is  to  love;  the  best 
way  to  love  is  to  use  insight  and  wisdom.  Love  is 
saved  from  sentimentality  by  wisdom;  wisdom  is 
saved  from  coldness  by  love.  Wisdom  is  the  sub- 
stance of  our  acquired  knowledge;  discernment  is 
the  accurate  vision  into  the  true  character  of  life 
that  is  given  us  by  love. 

Approving  the  excellent. — Ordinarily  we  waste  a 
vast  amount  of  time  and  energy  on  things  that  are 
not  worth  while  and  let  more  important  aims  go  by 
default.  The  Christian  ideal  approves  those  pur- 
poses which  are  excellent  and  so  makes  our  labour 
rewarding.  The  way  in  which  to  decide  what  is 
worth  while  is  to  see  how  Jesus  lived.  That  which 
He  sought  is  worth  our  seeking. 

Righteous. — Three  aspects  of  Christian  righteous- 
ness are  defined:  Negatively,  it  consists  in  being 
void  of  any  valid  charge  of  evil.  This  is  good  so 
far  as  it  goes ;  but  it  is  merely  negative.  Therefore, 
we  seek  the  positive  life,  which  is  full  of  the  fruits 
of  right  living.  Finally,  this  righteousness  is  not 
something  that  we  gain  by  struggle;  it  issues  from 
our  allegiance  to  Christ. 

Bringing  glory  and  praise  to  God. — The  Christian 
life  does  not  seek  its  own  honour  and  praise  alone ;  it 
seeks  to  yield  honour  to  God.  If  this  is  achieved  our 
reward  is  sufficient. 

SERMON  EIGHTEEN 

Christian  salvation  has  been  regarded  as  the 
putting  of  a  warrant  into  one's  hands  by  which  he 


SERMON  OUTLINES  149 

would  be  assured  a  blessed  eternal  life.  This  is  a 
poor  and  inadequate  conception  of  what  it  means 
to  be  brought  into  a  new  life  through  faith  in 
Christ.  It  is  a  development,  lasting  through  all  the 
years  of  our  earthly  living  and  demanding  for  its 
completion  the  life  immortal.  It  is  a  movement 
into  the  larger  achievements  of  Christian  enter- 
prise, the  pursuit  of  a  "  flying  goal."  It  is  a 
growth. 

Prof.  Luther  A.  Weigle  has  given  the  following 
description  of  growth  in  the  Christian  life: 

*'  How  shall  we  describe  the  natural  growth  of 
religion  in  a  human  life?  It  seems  almost  an  im- 
possible task.  For  religion  is  more  than  a  natural 
growth.  It  is  a  living,  personal  relation  with  God. 
It  cannot  be  described  in  terms  merely  of  '  laws  * 
and  '  periods  of  development.'  It  depends  upon 
God's  uncounted,  resourceful  ways,  as  in  love  and 
mercy  He  seeks  to  reach  the  minds  and  hearts  and 
to  enlist  the  wills  of  His  children.  And  it  depends 
upon  their  ways — ways  sometimes  reasonable  but 
often  ignorant,  capricious  and  self-willed — to 
which  He  adapts  His  measures  of  redeeming  grace. 
The  growth  in  the  soul  of  real  religion — as  distin- 
guished from  pious  convention — is  a  matter  su- 
premely individual.  One  touches  here  upon  the 
inmost  secret  of  each  separate  life. 

"  In  a  general  way,  three  stages  may  be  distin- 
guished through  which  most  persons  pass  as  they 
grow  in  religion.     There  is  the  stage,  first,  of  nur- 


150  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHINQ 

ture  in  religion  and  learning  about  religion ;  second, 
of  getting  religion  as  a  conscious  personal  posses- 
sion; third,  of  using  and  understanding  religion  in 
maturing  Christian  service  and  experience.  Char- 
acterizing each  by  a  single  phrase,  we  may  speak  of 
the  stages  of  Christian  nurture.  Christian  decision 
or  conversion,  and  Christian  experience.  The  first 
stage  corresponds  in  general  to  childhood ;  the  sec- 
ond, to  adolescence;  the  third,  to  mature  life."' 

In  these  sermons  v^e  have  not  dwelt  upon  the 
matter  of  Christian  nurture  in  childhood,  having  in 
mind  the  second  item,  conversion,  and  especially 
those  who  have  passed  the  adolescent  time,  to 
whom  we  have  been  seeking  to  bring  the  Gospel  as 
a  message  of  new  life.  We  are  now  seeking  to 
define  the  standards  and  discuss  the  aspects  of  that 
Christian  experience  which  follows  the  surrender 
of  the  will  to  the  claim  of  Christ  as  Saviour  and 
Lord. 

Growing  a  Soul 

But  grow  in  grace  and  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ  (2  Pet.  3 :  18). 

The  Christian  life,  like  all  life,  is  subject  to  the 
law  of  growth.  We  are  Christians;  but  also  we  are 
becoming  Christians.  This  text  shows  us  not  only 
the  end  but  the  sphere  of  Christian  development,  the 
grace  and  the  knowledge  of  Christ. 

Grow  into  a  deeper  knowledge  of  Christ. — Read, 
study,  and  think  about  Him.  Imagine  Jesus  as  He 
*  Talks  to  Sunday-School  Teachers,  1920,  p.  93. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  151 

lived  with  His  friends  in  Galilee.  Reflect  on  His  ac- 
tions. Ponder  His  teachings.  Make  these  real  and 
concrete.  Compare  them  with  the  words  and  deeds 
of  Christians  now. 

Try  to  make  yours  the  knowledge  that  Jesus  pos- 
sessed.— He  knew  more  fully  than  any  other  man 
who  ever  has  lived  the  truth  about  God,  about  man, 
and  about  their  right  and  normal  relationships  to 
one  another.  We  can  master  this  necessary  knowl- 
edge only  as  we  obey  the  principles  contained  in  it. 

Grow  into  the  Master's  gracious  life. — Jesus  was 
the  most  unselfish,  loving,  and  gracious  Comrade  who 
ever  lived.  "  Manners  make  men."  We  must  be- 
have as  He  did  in  our  contacts  with  our  fellows.  If 
the  world  could  rise  to  the  level  of  the  chivalrous 
life  of  Jesus  the  day  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  would 
break. 

Grow  into  the  grace  of  Christ's  personal  sacri- 
fice.— The  grace  of  Christ  does  not  appear  alone  in 
His  courteous  life;  it  is  the  very  substance  of  His 
spirit  and  motive.  Christ  gave  Himself  without 
reservation  to  all  mankind.  He  showed  unmerited 
favour  to  all  mankind.  This  involved  sacrifice.  The 
grace  of  Christ  appears  in  the  cross.  Until  we  rise 
to  the  height  of  personal  sacrifice  for  the  Master  we 
have  not  attained  the  grace  of  the  Master. 

SERMON  NINETEEN 

There  has  been  endless  discussion  especially 
within  the  past  generation  concerning  the  individ- 
ual and  social  aspects  of  the  Gospel.  On  the  one 
hand  have  been  the  defenders  of  the  proposition 


162  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

that  the  salvation  of  the  individual  soul  was  the 
goal  of  Christian  preaching  and  of  the  work  of  the 
Christian  Church;  on  the  other  hand  line  up  the 
champions  of  the  claim  that  the  world  is  the  sub- 
ject of  redemption  and  all  preaching  and  church 
work  are  designed  for  the  salvation  of  society. 
Two  books  of  comparatively  recent  date  represent 
these  two  accents  or  programs: 

The  Social  Gospel  and  the  New  Era,  by  John 
Marshall  Barker.  The  Individualistic  Gospel  and 
Other  Essays,  by  Andrew  Gillies.  Both  books 
were  published  in  1919;  both  are  by  well-known 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Each  is  clear  in  the  note  that  it  sounds.  Prof. 
Barker  affirms  that  "  the  superlative  duty  of  the 
Church  is  to  teach  a  correct  notion  of  the  Kingdom 
and  keep  it  alive  in  the  hearts  of  men.  The  con- 
ception should  never  fall  below  the  social  vision  of 
Christ.  The  Church  is  to  help  shape  the  mind  of 
the  world  about  the  Kingdom  ideal."  Dr.  Gillies 
cites  the  work  of  Wesley  with  approval,  showing 
clearly  that  "  a  great  deal  that  is  made  primary  to- 
day was  made  secondary  by  him  because  he  was 
convinced  that  the  only  way  to  bring  these  reforms 
to  pass  was  to  get  individual  men  soundly  con- 
verted, and  that  the  only  way  to  get  hardened  sin- 
ners and  smug  hypocrites  converted  was  not  by  an 
altruistic  appeal,  but  by  a  solemn  summons  to  get 
right  with  God." 

Now  what  might  seem  to  be  a  sharp  difference 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  163 

here  resolves  itself  into  no  difference  at  all  when 
we  bring  the  matter  into  the  light  of  the  radiant 
character  of  Jesus.  The  text  that  we  take  for  the 
sermon  unites  the  two  accents  perfectly.  Begin  at 
either  side  and  you  come  to  the  other.  Suppose  we 
seek  to  save  the  soul  of  the  individual:  it  cannot  be 
accomplished  apart  from  the  fellowship  of  com- 
rades. Suppose  we  try  to  save  the  community:  it 
is  impossible  apart  from  the  service  and  devotion 
of  a  group  of  saved  men  and  women.  So  the  two 
processes  go  on  mutually  strengthening  each  other. 
Individual  and  social  salvation  are  seen  to  be  two 
sides  of  the  one  truth.  The  coin  has  two  sides; 
each  is  necessary;  both  make  the  complete  coin. 
The  apparent  contradiction  is  thus  perfectly  re- 
solved in  the  life  of  Jesus,  the  great  statement  of 
whose  purpose  in  life  is  found  in  the  text  that 
follows. 

The  Purpose  of  Christian  Character 
And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself  (John  17 :  19) . 
There  has  been  wide  discussion  as  to  whether  the 
Gospel  is  designed  for  the  individual  or  for  society. 
In  this  verse  Jesus  reveals  His  own  attitude  toward 
His  life  and  answers  the  question  as  to  the  indi- 
vidual and  social  values  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
Both  are  involved;  there  is  no  essential  conflict  be- 
tween them. 

The  duty  of  self-development. — The  word  trans- 
lated "  sanctify  "  means  to  perfect  or  to  make  whole. 
Jesus  thinks  of  Himself  as  the  Son  of  God  whose 


164  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

sacred  obligation  is  to  make  Himself  complete  in 
every  possible  way.  In  one  sense  of  the  word  this 
is  a  doctrine  of  unrelieved  selfishness  or  of  the  self- 
hood. It  contemplates  one's  self  as  worth  every 
possible  effort  in  the  way  of  self-culture  or  develop- 
ment. It  insists  upon  the  supreme  worth  of  the 
whole  personality,  body,  mind,  and  spirit.  These 
are  to  receive  constant  attention  and  culture  in  or- 
der that  the  individual  may  become  perfect  or  com- 
plete. The  most  powerful  instrument  that  God  can 
use  to  make  the  world  what  He  designs  it  to  be  is 
perfected  and  consecrated  human  personality.  Such 
development  of  completeness  of  personality  is  im- 
possible, however,  without  the  discipline  and  culture 
of  service  to  others. 

The  duty  of  service  to  others. — A  perfected  per- 
sonality that  is  not  employed  for  an  unselfish  pur- 
pose may  be  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing.  So 
Jesus  perfected  His  own  life  in  order  that  He  might 
give  it  lavishly  for  the  good  of  others.  All  gains  in 
individual  character  are  for  the  purpose  of  using 
them  in  a  wider  ministry  to  others.  It  is  the  inten- 
tion of  the  gift  that  warrants  the  struggle  to  possess 
it.  So  we  do  not  ask  merely  what  a  gain  in  Chris- 
tian character  is;  we  ask  what  it  is  for.  If  it  is  for 
the  welfare  of  our  comrades  and  for  the  highest  good 
of  the  community  we  are  warranted  in  seeking  it 
with  all  our  strength.  This  constant  and  beneficent 
reaction  goes  on  all  the  time  in  the  building  of  Chris- 
tian character :  Do  we  want  to  serve  our  age  ?  Then 
we  must  perfect  ourselves.  Do  we  want  to  perfect 
ourselves  ?  Then  we  must  serve  our  age  for  we  can 
reach  perfection  in  no  other  way. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  156 

SERMON  TWENTY 

The  idea  which  we  are  to  bring  out  in  sermon 
twenty  is  that  the  Christian  life  is  a  beautiful  har- 
mony of  singing  virtues,  a  chorus  of  qualities 
which  is  prepared  and  trained  and  renders  the  very 
music  of  God  in  an  earthly  life.  The  first  step  in 
the  preparation  of  the  sermon  is  to  grasp  the  full 
meaning  of  the  figure  used  in  the  text.  It  comes 
from  a  people  who  loved  music  and  who  knew 
what  was  involved  in  selecting  the  singers  for  a 
chorus,  in  training  them,  and  then,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  leader,  in  rendering  a  great  composition. 

Study  carefully  the  meaning  of  this  interesting 
and  illuminating  analogy  as  it  is  seen  in  the  work 
of  a  modern  orchestra  or  chorus.  In  the  first  place 
the  Christian  character  is  more  beautiful  and  satis- 
fying than  any  other  fact  or  experience  in  life. 
No  oratorio  or  symphony  is  so  rich  in  all  loveliness, 
so  elevating  in  its  influence,  so  strong  in  its  uplift 
as  a  true  Christian  character.  The  Christian  life 
has  sometimes  been  regarded  as  a  stern  and  un- 
lovely experience;  but  it  is  the  contrary.  The 
character  of  Jesus  is  the  proof  that  the  normal 
Christian  way  of  living  is  full  of  strength  and 
beauty. 

Now  study  the  assembling  of  the  Christian  vir- 
tues. This  is  one  of  the  highest  privileges  that  can 
come  to  us.  We  are  given  the  duty  of  calling  into 
being  and  expression  the  finest,  noblest  qualities  of 


156  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

the  human  spirit.  No  chorus  leader  ever  was  per- 
mitted to  assemble  such  select  and  beautiful  agents 
for  the  expression  of  a  great  musical  theme.  Then 
note  the  way  in  which  the  various  qualities  are 
unified  and  balanced.  Just  as  a  great  chorus  must 
have  enough  but  not  more  than  enough  singers  for 
the  different  parts,  so  the  Christian  character  con- 
sists in  a  balance  of  qualities  which  insures  har- 
mony in  the  rendering  of  the  music. 

Then  review  the  matter  of  the  discipline  or  the 
training  of  the  assembled  parts  to  the  chorus. 
How  much  must  be  done  to  modulate  the  loudness 
of  some  and  to  increase  the  strength  of  attack  and 
tone  on  the  part  of  others.  Time  and  again  the 
score  must  be  rehearsed  and  every  time  the  trained 
ear  of  the  leader  will  discover  some  point  at  which 
more  practice  is  necessary. 

But  the  most  important  item  in  the  figure  is  the 
music  that  is  to  be  rendered  by  the  harmonious  life. 
The  great  privilege  of  repeating  the  majestic  music 
of  the  character  of  Jesus  is  given  to  us.  There  is 
no  other  vocation  or  possibility  that  can  compare 
with  this.  It  is  the  supreme  privilege  of  existence. 
This  fact  ought  to  inspire  us  with  the  determina- 
tion to  live  well  as  never  before. 

The  Choras  of  Christian  Character 

Yea,  and  for  this  cause  adding  on  your  part  all 
diligence,  in  your  faith  supply  virtue;  and  in  your  vir- 
tue knowledge;  and  in  your  knowledge  self-control; 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  157 

and  in  your  self-control  patience;  and  in  your  patience 
godliness;  and  in  your  godliness  brotherly  kindness; 
and  in  your  brotherly  kindness  love  (2  Pet.  i :  5-7). 

The  verb  translated  "  supply  "  means  to  "  furnish 
and  train  a  chorus."  It  involves  all  possible  skill 
and  diligence  and  patience.  It  is  like  gathering,  re- 
hearsing, and  conducting  an  orchestra.  These  eight 
graces  of  Christian  character — an  octave — are  to  be 
furnished  by  the  disciples  of  Christ. 

Faith. — We  begin  here  logically.  By  our  volun- 
tary trust  we  come  into  a  league  of  love  and  loyalty 
with  Christ.  Faith  is  not  a  single,  finished  act;  it 
is  a  constant  attitude  and  activity  of  the  spirit. 

Virtue. — This  refers  to  the  tested  strength  and 
proved  powers  of  the  soldier.  It  is  gained  in  the 
process  of  struggle.  It  can  be  relied  upon  because 
we  have  won  it  under  stress. 

Knowledge. — This  is  the  practical  fruit  of  experi- 
ence. We  do  not  gain  it  from  books  or  theories ;  we 
attain  it  in  the  great  school  of  experience.  Chris- 
tians are  always  learners. 

Self-control. — This  is  another  word  for  temper- 
ance. We  must  know  ourselves  and  master  our- 
selves. This  is  the  first  step  in  knowing  and  master- 
ing the  world  around  us. 

Patience. — This  extends  self-control  to  the  whole 
of  life  and  makes  us  long-suffering.  It  takes  time 
to  lift  a  continent.  God  is  patient  in  making  the 
world;  we  must  be  patient  In  making  our  character 
like  that  of  Christ. 

Godliness. — This  is  the  true  name  for  goodness. 
The  highest  manhood  is  divine.     We  propose  the 


158  EVAl^GELISTIC  PEE  ACHING 

noblest  ideal  to  ourselves  when  we  seek  to  become 
like  God.     This  is  the  highest  reverence. 

Brotherly  kindness, — Every  one  is  fighting  a  hard 
battle.  The  souls  of  men  need  kindness.  True 
brotherhood  defines  the  sort  of  kindness  that  we  are 
to  show  to  others.  This  issues  from  our  knowledge 
and  experience  of  God's  Fatherhood. 

Love. — This  is  the  inclusive  and  crowning  virtue 
of  the  Christian  life  and  character,  God  is  love; 
this  is  the  reason  why  we  are  to  love  others.  No 
other  point  of  view  will  reveal  our  duties  to  others 
as  love  will  show  them. 

These  eight  qualities  of  Christian  character  we 
must  assemble  and  train  and  use  in  complete  har- 
mony.    They  will  render  God's  music. 


SERMON  TWENTY-ONE 

In  this  sermon  we  are  to  take  up  the  message  of 
Christ  to  the  physical  life.  The  Gospel  has  some- 
thing to  say  to  the  physical  man.  It  does  not  con- 
template saving  the  soul  and  letting  the  body  go. 
It  means  the  salvation  of  the  physical  man. 

By  this  we  do  not  mean  to  claim  that  the  Chris- 
tian experience  insures  the  healing  of  all  wounds 
or  the  assurance  of  freedom  from  disease.  We 
mean  that  the  Christian  Is  a  better  Insurance  risk 
and  that  on  the  whole  health  comes  with  the  deep- 
ening of  the  Christian  life.  The  gifts  of  Christ 
are  peace  and  joy;  these  are  directly  concerned 
with  the  whole  matter  of  physical  well-being. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  159 

Back  of  this  sermon  must  lie  a  clear  idea  of  the 
Christian  view  of  the  physical  body.  It  is  not  an 
enemy  of  the  spirit  to  be  crushed ;  it  is  the  helper  of 
the  spirit  when  it  is  rightly  regarded.  We  do  not 
think  that  the  body  is  to  be  scourged ;  we  think  that 
it  is  to  be  developed  and  disciplined  until  it  shall  be 
the  instrument  and  temple  of  the  immortal  spirit. 
As  Josiah  Strong  once  said: 

"  There  cannot  be  a  high  intellectual  and  spir- 
itual growth  without  an  adequate  physical  basis. 
Man  is  the  most  perfect  animal  in  the  world.  It 
was  the  highest  physical  organism  which  received 
the  double  crown  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  life. 
In  human  experience,  the  higher  is  conditioned  by 
the  lower,  as  the  superstructure  is  limited  by  the 
foundation.  But  it  is  quite  possible  to  develop  the 
lower  life  at  the  expense  of  the  higher.  The  splen- 
did physique  of  the  prize-fighter  does  not  imply  a 
corresponding  intellectual  and  spiritual  develop- 
ment, but  quite  the  contrary.  As  an  animal,  he  is 
admirable ;  as  a  man,  he  is  monstrous."  * 

Therefore  our  emphasis  is  to  be  on  the  value  of 
the  physical  as  the  basis  of  the  spiritual.  The 
body  is  to  be  cultivated  and  honoured  rather  than 
neglected  or  despised  because  it  is  the  warrant  for 
all  advance  in  the  mental  and  spiritual  achievements 
of  man.  There  are  some  conspicuous  examples  of 
superb  attainments  in  spite  of  physical  limitations; 
but  in  general  it  is  the  person  who  has  a  clean  and 
*  The  Twentieth  Century  City,  p.  13. 


160  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

strong  body  who  can  do  the  best  work  for  Christ 
in  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

The  House  of  Man's  Soul 

Or  know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  a  temple  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  which  is  in  you,  which  ye  have  from 
Godf  and  ye  are  not  your  own;  for  ye  were  bought 
with  a  price:  glorify  God  therefore  in  your  body 
(I  Cor.  6:  19,  20;  see  also  3: 16). 

The  Gospel  is  good  news  to  the  whole  of  life  and 
therefore  it  has  a  message  to  the  body.  It  does  not 
despise  the  physical;  it  exalts  it  as  the  organ  of 
the  spirit  and  the  temple  of  the  divine.  How  shall 
we  treat  our  bodies  as  the  temple  of  God? 

The  honour  we  pay  the  temple. — A  sanctuary  is 
the  place  which  we  honour  both  for  its  own  sake  and 
for  that  which  resides  there.  The  body  is  the  spirit's 
sanctuary.  Every  organ  and  function  is  to  be 
highly  regarded  on  this  account.  The  highest  re- 
spect that  we  can  pay  the  spirit  is  to  provide  for 
it  the  cleanest  and  most  beautiful  temple  possible. 

The  care  we  take  of  the  temple. — We  must  give 
ceaseless  care  to  the  building  of  the  temple  that  it 
may  be  strong  enough  to  serve  the  needs  of  a  strong 
and  deathless  spirit.  The  soul  is  here  to  do  great 
deeds ;  it  must  have  an  instrument  fitted  to  this  end. 
We  must  take  great  care  to  keep  the  temple  clean. 
Nothing  coarse  or  vulgar  has  the  right  to  be  there. 
No  foul  thought  or  base  motive  may  be  allowed  to 
take  its  place  in  this  physical  temple.  It  must  be 
made  beautiful  with  every  possible  adornment  of 
loveliness.  The  spirit  is  exquisitely  beautiful;  its 
house  must  be  of  the  same  kind. 


SERMON  OUTLINES  161 

The  services  rendered  through  the  temple. — ^We 
speak  of  the  "  services  "  in  a  church  or  temple.  This 
indicates  the  real  business  of  the  body ;  it  is  to  serve 
the  needs  of  the  spirit  as  it  in  turn  serves  the  needs 
of  the  community.  The  whole  business  of  the  body 
is  summed  up  in  this  idea  of  service.  When  the 
body  is  being  used  by  the  spirit  rather  than  existing 
for  itself  it  is  discharging  its  highest  function. 
Therefore  we  think  first  of  the  resident  spirit.  What 
use  is  it  getting  out  of  the  body?  Is  our  physical 
equipment  of  such  a  kind  that  the  spirit  can  express 
itself  without  hindrance  through  it?  If  not,  how 
can  we  change  the  relation  so  that  we  shall  make  our 
bodies  the  residence  and  the  agent  of  the  spirit? 


SERMON  TWENTY-TWO 

Since  the  Christian  experience  is  a  part  of  the 
whole  life  of  the  individual  who  is  living  in  rela- 
tion with  the  complete  world  where  he  perfects  his 
life,  it  must  be  subject  to  the  tests  and  trials  of  that 
world.  It  cannot  claim  immunity  from  the  com- 
mon lot.  If  it  should  It  would  miss  one  of  the 
principal  sources  of  its  power  and  growth.  Temp- 
tation is  only  another  name  for  test.  And  tests 
are  of  the  utmost  importance  for  the  proving  of  the 
worth  of  anything. 

The  subject  of  this  sermon,  therefore,  is  the 
place  of  test  or  temptation  in  the  development  of 
the  Christian  life  and  the  place  of  God  in  our  test- 
ing.    It  calls  for  a  clear  idea  of  the  method  of  de- 


162  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

velopment  and  the  power  of  God  in  the  growth  of 
the  spirit.  In  other  words,  God  does  not  make  us 
complete  Christians  all  at  once  by  an  act  of  miracle 
or  magic.  He  takes  time.  The  process  is  the 
same  as  that  by  which  we  make  advances  in  the 
cultivation  of  our  physical  or  mental  powers. 
Take  the  familiar  example  of  the  training  of  the 
athlete.  It  is  necessary  for  the  candidate  for  an 
athletic  team  to  submit  to  all  kinds  of  tests  and 
training.  The  readiness  with  which  one  is  ready 
to  surrender  his  private  interest  or  his  selfish  desire 
is  the  first  indication  of  his  fitness  to  be  a  candidate 
for  the  team.  And  his  initial  act  of  surrender  to 
the  training  and  denial  must  be  followed  by  a  series 
of  tests  that  will  last  all  the  time  he  is  in  the  par- 
ticular group  to  whose  success  he  yields  his  indi- 
vidual taste  or  desire. 

Or  think  of  the  way  in  which  we  acquire  an  edu- 
cation. The  test  or  examination  must  be  success- 
fully met  during  the  entire  time  of  discipline. 
Oral  and  written  examinations  are  only  the  neces- 
sary test  by  which  we  determine  our  mastery  of  the 
truth  which  we  are  seeking  to  grasp.  They  are 
sometimes  Irritating;  but  they  are  vitally  neces- 
sary, at  least  In  some  form. 

This  lays  the  foundation  for  the  reasonableness 
and  the  kindness  that  are  both  Involved  In  tempta- 
tion. It  IS  God's  way  of  testing  us.  Therefore  a 
temptation  Is,  In  a  real  sense,  a  privilege.  It  Is  no 
sin  to  be  tempted;  the  sin  can  be  only  in  the  yield- 


SERMON  OUTLINES  163 

ing  to  the  temptation.  This  we  need  not  do  if  we 
will  give  God  the  place  in  the  struggle  that  Jesus 
has  promised  that  He  will  take.  It  is  the  purpose 
of  this  sermon  to  show  what  that  place  is  and  to 
enable  us  to  meet  our  tests  as  Jesus  met  His. 

Temptation — And  God 

There  hath  no  temptation  taken  you  hut  such  as 
men  can  hear;  hut  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not 
suffer  you  to  he  tempted  above  that  ye  are  ahle;  hut 
will  with  the  temptation  make  also  the  way  of  es- 
cape,  that  ye  may   he  ahle  to   endure  it   (i    Cor. 

10:13). 

The  function  of  tests  in  the  realization  of  the 
Gospel  life, — Tests  are  imperative  in  building  and 
manufacture.  All  materials  are  proved  before  they 
are  built  into  enduring  structures.  In  mathematics 
and  logic  we  demand  that  propositions  shall  be  sub- 
jected to  proof.  In  the  development  of  life  accord- 
ing to  the  form  and  laws  of  the  Gospel  we  make  the 
same  demand.  Tests  ought  to  be  welcomed  and 
their  results  uised.  Temptations  are  tests;  they 
prove  the  worth  and  durability  of  the  materials  of 
Christian  character. 

The  endurance  of  tests. — Tests  involve  strain  and 
suffering.  They  call  for  the  utmost  resolution, 
patience,  and  courage.  They  are  not  welcome  at 
the  moment.  How  are  they  to  be  met?  Not  by 
seeking  to  avoid  them.  No  problem  is  ever  solved 
by  running  away  from  it.  Face  the  temptation 
squarely.  All  difficulties  generally  look  largest  at 
a  distance,   as  a  hill  appears   steepest  before  we 


164  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHIKG 

actually  begin  to  climb  it.  A  determined  stand  is 
the  only  Christian  way  in  which  to  submit  to  a  test. 
God's  part  in  our  tests. — At  the  moment  when  we 
seem  nearest  the  point  of  breaking  God  comes  in 
with  help.  Millions  of  witnesses  confirm  this  state- 
ment. They  have  fought  until  it  seemed  as  if  they 
must  surrender,  and  then,  at  the  moment  when  de- 
feat seemed  inevitable,  something  has  broken  the 
power  of  the  temptation.  Energy  from  God  has 
rushed  in,  reinforced  their  feeble  powers,  given  them 
the  help  they  needed.  We  can  rely  upon  God.  He 
will  not  fail  the  soul.  Strength  will  come  to  match 
the  trial. 


SERMON  TWENTY-THREE 

The  Great  War  has  given  an  added  impetus  to 
discussions  on  the  subject  of  prayer.  The  whole 
question  was  thrown  into  prominence  by  the  prac- 
tical situation  In  which  millions  of  people  were  in- 
volved; they  prayed  against  the  coming  of  the  war 
and  they  prayed  for  victory;  they  prayed  for  the 
safety  of  their  friends,  and  often  it  seemed  as  if 
their  prayers  were  Idle  mockery.  What  did  It  all 
mean  ?     What  was  the  use  of  prayer  ? 

On  the  other  hand  there  appears  as  never  before 
the  soundness  of  the  fundamental  principle  that 
prayer  is  of  the  very  nature  of  religion.  The 
statement  of  William  James  at  the  conclusion  of 
his  Varieties  of  Religious  Experience  Is  more  than 
ever  timely  and  true: 


SEBMON  OUTLINES  165 

**  1.  That  the  visible  world  is  part  of  a  more 
spiritual  universe  from  v^hich  it  draws  its  chief 
significance ; 

"  2.  That  union  or  harmonious  relation  with 
that  higher  universe  is  our  true  end ; 

"  3.  That  prayer  or  inner  communion  with  the 
spirit  thereof — be  that  spirit  *  God  '  or  '  law  ' — is  a 
process  wherein  work  is  really  done,  and  spiritual 
energy  flows  in  and  produces  effects,  psychological 
or  material,  within  the  phenomenal  world."  * 

In  preparing  this  sermon  let  us  emphasize  cer- 
tain factors  in  this  statement  of  Prof.  James  in 
our  own  minds.  Prayer  is  the  noble  name  for 
the  whole  range  of  communion  between  the  soul 
in  man  and  the  Eternal  Spirit  which  we  call  God, 
and  which,  as  Christians,  we  name  the  heavenly 
Father.  It  does  not  consist  simply  in  certain  for- 
mal acts ;  it  is  the  entire  attitude  of  the  personality 
in  reference  to  God ;  it  is  every  expression  of  love 
and  service  as  well  as  words  and  postures.  It  is 
communion. 

And  in  this  communion  work  actually  gets  done 
or  energy  is  released  and  applied  to  specific  ends. 
This  is  what  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  calls  "  an  engine  of 
achievement."  We  must  be  sure  that  through 
prayer  "  more  things  are  wrought  than  this  world 
dreams  of."  It  is  not  simply  a  satisfying  emotion 
or  experience.  God  joins  forces  with  man  through 
prayer  to  accomplish  the  great  ends  of  the  divine 
^Page  485. 


L66  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

will.  He  adds  strength  to  us.  He  breaks  through 
with  power  for  our  help.  It  takes  great  faith  to 
be  sure  of  this;  but  there  are  unlimited  proofs  of 
the  reality  of  the  finding  of  Prof.  James  in  his 
great  study.  What  we  need  in  our  present  bewil- 
dering generation  is  to  be  sure  of  this  fact  and  act 
upon  it  with  joy.  Put  this  confidence  behind  the 
people  in  this  sermon. 

Prevailing  Prayer 

The  supplication  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much 
in  its  working  (Jas.  5:  16). 

Prayer  is  communion  between  the  soul  and  God. 
It  has  as  many  forms  of  expression  as  a  human 
friendship  has.  Sometimes  it  is  silent,  consisting 
entirely  in  the  joy  of  "togetherness."  Sometimes 
it  is  audible,  consisting  of  praise  and  adoration  and 
petition.  It  always  is  a  vital  and  beautiful  part  of 
the  Christian  life,  the  "  vital  breath  "  and  "  native 
air  "  of  Christian  experience. 

The  righteous  man's  prayer. — While  men  pray  be- 
cause they  are  good,  they  also  are  good  because  they 
pray.  The  promise  of  achievement  in  the  life  of 
prayer  is  not  indiscriminate  and  unconditioned.  It 
is  realized  fully  by  those  whose  life  merits  the  bless- 
ings that  flow  from  communion  with  the  Father. 
Just  as  a  child's  fellowship  with  his  earthly  parents 
Is  made  profitable  In  the  end  by  the  character  of  his 
relations  with  them,  so  the  life  of  prayer  depends 
for  its  rewards  and  satisfactions  upon  the  rightness 
of  our  life. 

The  gradual  results. — Note   the  phrase,   "in  its 


SERMON  OUTLINES  167 

working."  The  results  may  be  delayed.  They  may 
not  come  as  swiftly  as  we  could  wish.  God  takes 
time  to  bring  about  the  results  which  we  desire.  It 
is  necessary  to  enter  into  partnership  with  Him  and 
to  share  the  long  processes  by  which  His  great  ends 
are  gained.  This  tests  and  trains  our  patience  and 
endurance.  It  is  desirable.  If  everything  were  ac- 
complished in  a  moment  we  would  not  receive  the 
discipline  that  is  necessary  for  our  highest  welfare. 
Prayer  an  engine  of  achievement, — It  finally 
"  availeth  much."  Prayer  does  actually  get  results. 
We  may  not  be  able  to  explain  this ;  but  in  some  way 
through  communion  with  God  union  is  effected  with 
the  higher  powers  outside  ourselves  and  energy 
comes  in  to  give  the  resources  w^e  need  in  the  en- 
deavour to  lead  the  Christian  life.  It  is  like  the  re- 
sult that  is  derived  from  a  talk  with  some  one 
stronger  than  ourselves  when  help  is  actually  given 
to  match  our  need.  We  do  not  wait  perfectly  to  un- 
derstand all  the  reasons  that  warrant  the  action.  We 
simply  take  the  help  that  is  offered  and  thank  God 
for  it. 


SERMON  TWENTY-FOUR 

When  the  lawyer  asked  Jesus  the  test  ques- 
tion reported  in  Ltike  10  he  received  an  answer 
from  the  Bible  and  then  a  story  from  real  life. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful  of  all  the  par- 
ables, the  tender  and  searching  story  of  the  Good 
Samaritan.  The  inmost  meaning  of  this  we  are 
to  interpret  in  sermon  twenty- four.     It  shows  us 


168  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

the  grounds  of  true  brotherhood  and  the  meaning 
of  Christian  service.  It  leads  in  the  end  to  the 
conception  of  human  Hfe  which  is  summed  up  in 
the  noble  phrase,  **  The  Beloved  Community.'* 
Concerning  this  a  recent  book  says: 

"  Jesus  sought  to  lead  His  followers  on  to  the 
full  stature  of  the  perfect  man  and  woman.  There- 
fore He  set  before  them  the  ideal  of  the  beloved 
community.  It  included  all  who,  like  themselves, 
were  intent  upon  doing  the  will  of  God.  These 
Jesus  implied  were  not  only  His  but  their  brothers 
and  sisters  and  mothers.  This  beloved  community 
was  the  larger  family,  capable  through  their  united 
efforts  of  unlimited  expansion,  to  which  He  di- 
rected their  supreme  devotion  and  loyalty.  Jesus 
sought  to  build  up  about  each  individual  an  eager, 
kindly,  fraternal  group,  ever  growing  until  it  in- 
cluded all  members  of  the  local  community.  In 
this  each  found  not  only  friendship,  sympathy,  and 
help  but  ample  opportunity  for  self-expression  and 
growth  through  service.  This  was  the  only  type 
of  church  that  Jesus  ever  founded.  It  was  the 
family  ideal  expanded  until  it  included  all  members 
of  the  local  community  who  were  responsive  to  the 
feelings  of  brotherhood  and  then  expanded  again 
until  it  bound  together,  through  common  loyalties, 
all  men  of  all  races  who  accepted  Jesus'  principles 
of  living.  Like  a  mother  bird,  He  longed  to 
gather  all  of  the  scattered  sons  of  Abraham  under 
His  enfolding  wings.     The  Gospel  of  John  also 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  169 

reminds  us  that  the  great  Shepherd  had  sheep  not 
of  the  Jewish  fold  under  His  care."  ' 

This  is  the  inevitable  conclusion  to  which  the 
Parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan  leads.  It  may  not  be 
wise  to  stress  the  universal  application  of  the  story 
strongly  in  the  sermon;  but  no  preacher  can  handle 
it  accurately  and  draw  out  the  full  values  in  it  un- 
less he  works  from  this  fundamental  place  that  the 
beloved  community  held  in  the  thought  and  action 
of  Jesus.  The  simple  incident  on  the  Jericho  road, 
told  with  such  exquisite  sense  of  its  application  to 
individual  life,  is  universal  in  its  application.  To 
give  this  impression  is  essential  to  the  purpose  of 
this  sermon. 

Who  is  My  Neighbour? 

Exposition  of  Parable  of  Good  Samaritan  (Luk& 
10:29-37). 

The  cynical  question  that  called  out  the  story. 
The  telling  force  of  the  answer ;  not  a  discussion  but 
a  story,  the  meaning  of  which  admitted  of  no  de- 
bate and  enforced  the  truth  with  wholesome  direct- 
ness. 

The  wounded  man. — In  the  unsettled  condition  of 
the  country  the  event  would  be  readily  understood. 
This  hurt,  plundered  man  stands  for  every  kind  of 
human  need  that  is  constantly  pressing  upon  us. 
Sin  has  robbed  men  of  their  treasures  and  left  them 
hurt  and  bleeding  along  all  the  highways  of  the 
world.     They  need  help ;  they  need  neighbours. 

'  Kent  and  Jenks,  Jesu^  Principles  of  Living,  1920,  p.  loi. 


170  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

The  priest. — His  business  was  the  representation 
and  administration  of  religion.  Mercy  and  helpful- 
ness were  his  function.  The  care  of  bleeding  men 
should  have  been  the  very  technique  of  his  daily 
life.  He  saw  the  wounded  man  but  apparently  did 
not  even  break  his  walk.  He  passed  along  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road. 

The  Levite. — He  also  was  trained  in  the  exercise 
of  religion.  The  ceremonies  were  the  object  of  his 
study  and  devotion.  He  would  not  have  conducted 
one  inaccurately;  a  stickler  for  form.  He  saw  the 
wounded  man  plainly.  But  he  did  not  stop  to  help 
him. 

The  Samaritan. — Remember  that  Jews  and  Sa- 
maritans were  bitter  enemies.  Their  ancestors  had 
quarreled;  that  was  enough  to  keep  the  quarrel  hot 
for  centuries.  This  Samaritan  had  every  racial 
prejudice  against  the  Jews.  He  might  have  said, 
"  Good  enough  for  him !  There  is  one  less  Jew 
to  abuse  me  and  my  people."  But  this  Samaritan 
was  a  true  neighbour.  He  did  not  inquire  for  names 
and  relationships.  He  broke  his  journey;  got  the 
wounded  man  on  his  horse;  took  him  to  his  own 
room;  watched  the  man  personally;  took  the  re- 
sponsibility of  providing  him  a  room  and  board.  He 
stands  for  the  true  neighbour  who  will  never  give  up 
a  permanent  relationship  of  love  and  service  to  any 
needy  soul  anywhere  at  any  time. 

SERMON  TWENTY-FIVE 

This  sermon  is  based  on  the  fundamental  Idea 
that  we  cannot  complete  our  Christian  life  apart 


SEBMON  OUTLINES  171 

from  the  fellowship  with  others  which  is  absolutely 
necessary.  No  person  can  be  a  Christian  alone; 
we  require  one  another  to  perfect  our  life  in  union 
with  Christ  on  earth. 

The  great  realm  of  this  fellowship  is  the  Church, 
which  is  here  represented  as  an  organism  or  cor- 
poration of  Christ.  This  is  St.  Paul's  definition  of 
the  Church  and  no  more  satisfactory  one  ever  has 
been  given.  Concerning  this  conception  of  the 
Church  Bishop  Charles  H.  Brent  says: 

"  The  Church  has  a  visible  body ;  it  is  an  organ- 
ism rather  than  an  organization ;  there  is  one  Body 
and  one  Spirit.  It  is  perhaps  rather  difficult  to 
make  clear  the  difference  between  an  organism 
and  an  organization,  but  there  is  a  difference  which 
is  fundamental.  An  organism  is  a  unitary  form ; 
life  is  inherent  in  it  and  energizes  and  permeates  it 
fully.  An  organization  is  an  assembling  and  co- 
ordination of  congenial  elements,  a  communicating 
of  life  as  the  life.  Organization  is,  so  to  speak, 
manufactured.  The  family,  the  nation,  and  the 
Church  are  all  organisms,  and  every  voluntary  as- 
sociation, such  as  the  Christian  Association,  for  in- 
stance, is  an  organization.  The  Church  is  the  only 
eternal  society,  and  all  voluntary  associations,  if 
they  fulfill  their  complete  functions,  pour  their  life 
into  the  Church,  finding  their  highest  and  fullest 
realization  In  giving  themselves  in  all  their  com- 
pleteness to  the  Church.  .  .  .  Man  Is  not  body 
aione:  body  without  soul  is  corpse.     Neither  is  he 


172  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

soul  alone:  soul  without  body  is  ghost.     Man  is 
body  and  soul."  * 

Now  what  the  soul  is  to  the  body  of  man,  that 
the  living  Christ  is  to  His  body  the  Church  now  on 
earth  and  forever  in  union  with  Him  in  the  unseen 
world.  This  figure  is  one  of  the  most  clarifying 
symbols  which  we  could  possibly  use  to  make  clear 
the  eternal  value  and  the  present  importance  of  the 
Christian  Church.  There  is  no  theory  or  doctrine 
of  the  Church  that  ever  has  been  framed  that  lets 
us  into  its  very  inner  meaning  so  surely  and  com- 
pletely as  this.  The  more  the  preacher  ponders  it 
the  more  he  will  see  its  consummate  and  revealing 
beauty.  The  sermon  will  grow  swiftly  around  this 
central  figure. 

The  Living  Church 

The  Church  which  is  his  body  (Eph.  1:22,23). 

This  is  a  description  of  the  Church  according  to 
an  analogy  which  we  all  appreciate  and  understand. 
The  Church  is  at  this  moment  the  organism,  or  group 
of  living  persons,  in  whose  daily  life  the  purpose  of 
Jesus  works  so  radically  that  it  gets  its  will  done 
through  them.     We  note: 

The  unity  of  the  Church. — Just  as  any  living  plant 
or  animal  Is  a  diversity  of  organs  unified  and  con- 
trolled for  a  common  purpose,  so  the  living  Church 
is  composed  of  a  great  number  of  persons  and  pro- 
grams, united  and  directed  by  the  unseen  Christ, 
resident  within  them.  The  ground  of  unity  in  the 
*  The  Inspiration  of  Responsibility,  1915,  pp.  98,  100. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  173 

living  Church  is  the  will  of  Christ.  It  is  working 
to  accomplish  its  purpose  now  as  it  did  when  Jesus 
lived  in  Palestine;  only  it  now  uses  a  vast  number 
of  living  persons  as  it  then  used  His  physical  body 
and  His  comrades  in  daily  life. 

The  diversity  of  the  Church. — The  highest  organ- 
isms are  those  which  have  the  greatest  diversity  of 
organs  blended  into  a  common  purpose,  e.  g.,  the 
wider  the  range  of  variety  the  greater  the  useful- 
ness, provided  they  are  fused  in  a  common  pur- 
pose. 

The  Church  and  its  environment. — The  organism 
derives  its  sustenance  from  its  environment,  which 
it  serves  in  return.  The  organism  exists  for  the 
environment.  The  Church  has  the  right  to  expect 
support  from  the  community;  the  community  has 
the  right  to  demand  service  from  the  Church. 

Organ  and  organism. — This  alone  insures  a  living 
Church.  Life  must  animate  the  organism;  Christ 
must  animate  the  Church.  Only  thus  can  it  func- 
tion in  its  environment  and  reproduce  its  own  life. 


SERMON  TWENTY-SIX 

There  are  many  ways  in  which  to  describe  the 
Christian  life.  It  is  so  varied  that  figures  and  il- 
lustrations of  many  sorts  are  required  to  set  forth 
its  characteristics  and  activities.  Among  the  in- 
teresting and  picturesque  descriptions  of  the  Chris- 
tian experience  are  the  two  figures  that  we  have 
taken  for  the  text  of  the  twenty-sixth  sermon. 


174  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

Only  one  caution  is  necessary.  In  developing  a 
sermon  from  an  illustration  or  likeness  we  must 
remember  that  no  figure  ever  can  be  pressed  into 
details  without  its  failing  at  some  point.  *'  No 
example  can  go  on  all  fours."  So  the  preacher 
must  select  those  factors  in  the  figure  that  are  es- 
sential and  which  bear  upon  the  subject  to  be  inter- 
preted by  the  analogy  and  hold  steadfastly  to  them 
in  his  treatment  of  the  proposition.  Whatever  we 
say  about  the  citizen  and  the  athlete  must  be  valid 
in  its  application  to  the  Christian  life  and  experi- 
ence. Not  many  items  are  to  be  brought  forward ; 
those  which  are  selected  must  be  carefully  handled ; 
their  bearing  upon  the  proposition  must  always  be 
legitimate.  Beware  the  temptation  to  rush  into 
fanciful  comparisons;  never  let  details  clutter  up 
the  treatment  of  the  analogy.  We  are  trying  to 
make  an  unfamiliar  truth  plain  by  the  use  of  one 
that  is  familiar.  Confusion  comes  from  too  many 
"  points." 

Citizens  and  Athletes  of  the  Gospel 

Only  let  your  manner  of  life  he  worthy  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ;  that,  whether  I  come  and  see  you 
or  he  ahsent,  I  may  hear  of  your  state,  that  ye  stand 
fast  in  one  spirit,  with  one  soul  striving  for  the 
faith  of  the  Gospel  (Phil.  1:27). 

The  meaning  of  the  text  is  clarified  by  two  fig- 
ures :  the  word  translated  let  your  manner  of  life  he 
means  literally  act  as  a  citizen;  the  word  translated 


SERMON  OUTLINES  176 

striving  for  means  literally  being  an  athlete.  To  be 
a  Christian  means  to  be  a  citizen  and  an  athlete  for 
Christ. 

Citizens  of  the  Gospel, — Consider  the  rights  or 
privileges  of  Gospel  citizenship.  Membership  in  the 
commonwealth  of  Christ  involves  the  right  to  know- 
God;  the  Father  is  discovered  and  appropriated 
through  Christ.  It  involves  the  privilege  of  know- 
ing what  right  is  and  how  to  do  it;  we  derive  our 
moral  insight  and  energy  from  Christ.  It  involves 
the  right  to  immortal  life;  the  commonwealth  of 
Christ  embraces  earth  and  heaven.  Consider  the 
duties  of  Gospel  citizenship.  These  are  more  im- 
portant than  rights.  There  is  the  duty  to  perfect 
our  personality ;  to  serve  our  generation  in  the  spirit 
of  Christ ;  to  know  and  do  God's  will.  Consider  the 
mutual  loyalties  of  Gospel  citizenship.  No  man 
lives  to  himself.  We  must  sympathize  with  each 
other;  help  each  other;  sacrifice  for  each  other. 

Athletes  of  the  Gospel. — Loyalty  to  Christ  Is  not 
negative  or  puny;  it  Is  martial  and  athletic  busi- 
ness. It  calls  for  red  blood,  for  daring,  for  train- 
ing, for  resolution,  and  for  persistence.  Consider 
the  athlete's  purpose:  he  means  to  win.  He  means 
to  win  honourably.  He  loses  in  fine  spirit  as  a  good 
sportsman.  Consider  the  athlete's  disclpli'ne.  No 
denial  is  too  great  to  put  him  In  fit  condition.  He 
plays  the  game  with  the  team,  merging  individual 
desire  In  the  victory  for  the  group.  Consider  the 
athlete's  determination.  He  does  not  give  up  even 
when  he  Is  apparently  beaten.  These  characteristics 
are  called  for  by  the  Gospel. 


176  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

SERMON  TWENTY-SEVEN 

We  draw  near  the  conclusion  of  this  series  of 
sermons  in  which  we  have  attempted  to  set  forth 
the  good  news  of  the  reconciHation  in  Christ  before 
the  community.  The  message  is  concluded  with 
the  statement  of  Christ's  doctrine  and  program  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

Two  books  of  fairly  recent  date  are  recom- 
mended: What  is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven f  by 
A.  Clutton  Brock.  1920.  Scribner's.  The  Chris- 
tian Adventure,  by  A.  Herbert  Gray.  1920.  As- 
sociation Press.  Each  of  these  books  handles  the 
great  subject  with  a  fresh  and  suggestive  style. 
They  will  stimulate  a  preacher's  thinking  most 
profitably. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  idea  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  has  been  sadly  neglected  in  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Church  and  the  work  of  preaching.  The 
following  statement  is  most  important,  coming 
from  an  investigation  of  the  religious  ideas  and  life 
of  the  soldiers  in  the  Great  War: 

"  Should  we  not  include  education  in  the  idea  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God?  I  found  when  It  came  to 
this  that  I  had  to  begin  at  the  beginning  and  lead 
men  gradually  to  the  idea.  Not  one  in  a  hundred 
had  apparently  ever  heard  of  it.  I  mean  among 
the  churchgoers.  Religion  was  to  them  a  personal 
and  individual  matter.  Of  course  there  must  be 
the  foundation,  but  it  ought  not  to  stop  there,  and 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  177 

as  far  as  I  can  see  ministers  in  general  have  been 
letting  it  stop  there,  or  have  been  so  vague  about 
the  Kingdom  that  men  haven't  caught  the  idea  at 
all." ' 

Dr.  Gray  confirms  this  opinion  in  the  following 
paragraph : 

"  It  may  be  doubted  whether  two  per  cent,  of  the 
people  who  attend  churches  have  any  clear  concep- 
tion of  the  meaning  of  this  phrase  which  was  so 
constantly  on  the  lips  of  Jesus.  It  might  have  been 
expected  that  it  would  have  been  the  very  first 
thing  to  be  explained  to  children  in  connection  with 
Christianity,  and  that  church  members  would  re- 
ceive abundant  instruction  about  it.  It  would  have 
been  natural  if  it  had  filled  a  central  place  in  cate- 
chisms, and  in  confessions  of  faith.  But  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  hardly  has  any  place  at  all  in 
creeds,  or  catechisms.  A  man  might  read  a  great 
deal  of  ordinary  Christian  literature  and  never 
come  across  the  expression."  ^ 

Every  preacher  will  wish  to  frame  his  own  defi- 
nition of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  There  are  many 
discussions  of  the  idea  to  be  found.  We  give  here 
simply  the  one  proposed  by  Dr.  Gray: 

"  What,  then,  did  Jesus  mean  by  the  Kingdom 
of  God?     I  think  a  partial  answer  at  least  is  to  say 

*  Religion  Among  American  Men,  1920,  Association  Press, 

p.  15- 
^Ihid,,  p.  20. 


178  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

that  He  used  that  phrase  as  a  description  of  what 
human  life  becomes  when  it  is  lived  under  the  con- 
straint of  two  truths — the  Fatherhood  of  God,  and 
the  Brotherhood  of  man.  Those  were  the  two 
great  truths  He  came  to  reveal  both  by  life  and  by 
death,  and  when  any  man  fully  receives  them  and 
lives  under  their  dominion  he  enters  the  Kingdom. 
When  any  group  of  people  live  in  that  way  the 
Kingdom  appears  as  a  social  fact  in  this  life. 

* 'Another  way  in  which  Jesus  put  the  same  truth 
was  to  say  that  there  are  only  two  great  command- 
ments— to  love  God  and  to  love  one's  neighbour. 
And  when  any  man  begins  to  obey  those  command- 
ments he  enters  the  Kingdom.  The  Kingdom 
means  human  life  dominated  through  and  through 
by  love.  To  a  certain  extent  the  Kingdom  comes 
into  being  when  even  one  man  achieves  this  kind  of 
life.  It  began  to  come  when  Jesus  Himself  came, 
and  individuals  can  realize  many  of  its  blessings  in 
their  own  lives  even  though  they  are  isolated  indi- 
viduals. And  yet  the  Kingdom  cannot  fully  come 
for  any  individual  until  others  also  have  entered  it. 
It  means  a  society  of  a  certain  kind.  Indeed,  it 
cannot  fully  come  until  all  men  have  entered  it,  and 
life  the  wide  world  over  is  life  dominated  by  its 
principles."  * 

It  will  be  immediately  apparent  that  this  idea  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God  is  consistent  with  the  message 
that  we  have  been  giving  in  these  sermons  thus  far. 
^Religion  Among  American  Men,  pp.  2i,  22. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  179 

It  gathers  about  Christ ;  it  involves  loyahy  to  Him ; 
it  is  a  matter  of  choice  and  decision;  it  is  a  practical 
endeavour  for  the  individual  and  it  includes  the 
whole  of  his  life.  On  the  basis  of  these  truths  we 
proceed  to  unfold  the  first  text  of  the  five  devoted 
to  this  primary  Christian  doctrine. 

The  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom 

And  Jesus  went  about  in  all  Galilee,  teaching  in 
their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the 
Kingdom   (Matt.  4:23). 

The  message  of  Jesus  was  expressed  in  the 
analogy  of  a  kingdom.  It  was  the  only  analogy  that 
could  have  been  understood.  It  was  a  heavenly  or- 
der of  earthly  life;  it  represented  the  reign  of  God 
in  the  whole  life  of  man. 

The  reality  of  the  Kingdom. — This  is  more  than  a 
clear  and  forceful  figure  of  rhetoric.  The  King- 
dom has  reality.  We  cannot  see  its  regal  head,  its 
court,  its  palaces,  its  splendour;  but  there  are  actual 
facts  in  the  spiritual  Kingdom  that  correspond  to 
these  temporal  things.  There  is  vast  energy  in  the 
Kingdom;  its  laws  are  valid;  its  rights  and  duties 
claim  our  power  and  loyalty  as  much  as  those  of  the 
civil  state.    Jesus  established  a  real  order  of  life. 

Our  neglect  of  the  Kingdom. — Strangely,  this 
truth  was  central  in  all  the  teaching  and  action  of 
Jesus;  but  It  has  been  given  scant  place  in  the 
thought  and  life  of  the  Christian  Church.  Other 
doctrines  and  duties  have  usurped  Its  primary  place 
and  claim.  Jesus  exalted  the  reality  of  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven  as  an  order  of  life  meant  for  the 


180  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

world;  we  have  thought  of  it  chiefly  as  describing 
the  Hfe  after  death  or  a  far-off  consummation  of 
development. 

The  reaffirming  of  the  Kingdom. — This  is  the  day 
in  which  to  affirm  and  realize  the  doctrine  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  The  Great  War  has  revealed 
depths  of  sin  and  hate  never  before  expressed  by 
men;  it  has  uncovered  yearnings  for  unity  and  lov- 
ing service  never  defined  before.  The  conception 
of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  that  Jesus  made  plain 
in  His  words  and  life  shows  us  the  only  workable 
program  that  can  meet  these  aspirations  of  the  hu- 
man spirit  in  the  modern  age.  Therefore  the  pulpit 
must  publish  the  good  news  of  the  Kingdom  and  it 
must  be  made  the  program  for  the  world. 


SERMON  TWENTY-EIGHT 

We  now  pass  to  a  study  of  the  conditions  on 
which  we  may  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God.  It  is 
not  difficult.  The  terms  are  easy  to  understand 
and  we  can  fulfill  them  if  we  will  without  any 
heavy  external  conditions  being  imposed  upon  us. 
We  have  given  in  the  suggestions  connected  with 
sermon  twenty-seven  a  statement  by  Dr.  Gray  con- 
cerning the  way  in  which  the  conditions  of  en- 
trance may  be  met. 

If  the  condition  of  entrance  into  the  Kingdom  is 
self-surrender  or  meekness  or  humility,  we  must 
consider  this  fact  in  reference  to  another  promise 
of  Jesus,  where  He  said,  "  I  came  that  they  may 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  181 

have  life,  and  may  have  it  abundantly."     The  doc- 
trines of  self-sacrifice  and  self-realization  are  the 
two  opposite  sides  of  the  one  truth  that  the  way  of 
entrance  into  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  the  attain- 
ment of  life  through  the  yielding  of  life. 
It  has  been  put  by  Dr.  Gray  as  follows: 
"  What,  then,  of  this  call  to  self-denial?     Well, 
it  was  a  call  to  self-surrender,  but  not  a  call  to 
world  renunciation.     Men  and  women  were  to  go 
on  living  in  the  world,  and  were  to  continue  to  ex- 
ercise their  gifts  and  talents  there,  only  all  now 
with  a  new  motive.     They  were  to  be  busy  not  for 
self  but  for  all  men.     The  statesman  was  to  be 
busy,  not  that  he  might  rise  to  some  supreme  place 
of  power,  but  that  national  affairs  might  be  well 
administered.     The  fisherman  was  to  catch  fish, 
not  that  he  might  make  a  corner  in  the  fish  market 
and  so  become  rich,  but  that  the  people  might  have 
fresh  and  wholesome  food.     .     .     .     The  trader 
was  to  go  on  with  his  business  and  put  all  his  brains 
into  it,  not  that  he  might  make  a  pile  and  retire 
early  into  idleness,  but  that  he  might  help  the  free 
exchange  of  the  world's  goods,  and  bring  ease  to 
lives  that  were  straitened.     ...     In  fact  the 
self-regarding  element  was  to  pass  out  of  every 
life,  and  so  each  life  was  to  be  set  free  to  become 
something  finer  and  larger  and  happier.     It  does 
in  literal  fact  turn  out  to  be  true,  that  he  who  loseth 
his  life  shall  find  it,  and  none  but  those  who  have 
so  lost  life  can  ever  imagine  what  a  great  and  satis- 


18^  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

fying  and  romantic  thing  life  may  be  through  all  its 
course."  ' 

So  let  us  present  the  truth  in  its  whole  measure. 
The  self-sacrifice  is  necessary;  and  the  self-realiza- 
tion follows.  The  self  must  be  more  fully  realized 
before  it  may  be  sacrificed.  Both  truths  are  vital 
and  they  support  one  another. 

Entering  the  Kingdom 

Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord, 
shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  hut  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 

Except  ye  turn,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye 
shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
(Matt.  7:21;  18:3). 

We  come  voluntarily  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
rather  than  becoming  its  members  by  the  accident  of 
birth  or  environment. 

Humility  and  trust. — These  are  represented  by  the 
attitude  and  action  of  the  child,  who  came  to  Jesus 
happily  and  confidently  when  he  was  asked  to  do  so. 
Jesus  does  not  make  childishness  the  condition  of 
entering  the  Kingdom,  but  the  childlike  spirit  of 
humility  and  trustfulness.  The  Kingdom  is  the 
realm  of  service;  therefore  humble  hearts  alone  can 
share  it.  The  Kingdom  is  the  realm  of  loving 
deeds;  therefore  mutual  confidence  alone  can  meet 
its  obligations.  The  child  did  not  stop  to  argue  or 
protest  when  Jesus  placed  him  among  the  disciples; 
he  put  himself  into  the  care  of  Jesus  immediately 
and  happily.  Thus  we  enter  the  Kingdom. 
*  The  Christian  Adventure,  p.  32. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  183 

Obedience  to  God's  will. — The  laws  of  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven  are  determined  by  the  will  of  God, 
which  is  dictated  by  personal  love.  When  love  de- 
cides the  program  of  life  it  must  be  good.  To  yield 
our  lives  to  the  program  which  infinite  love  and 
wisdom  have  determined  is  to  be  sure  of  all  the  best 
satisfactions  which  can  possibly  come  to  us.  Obedi- 
ence is  an  unwelcome  proposal  to  all  proud  and 
self-conscious  men.  They  do  not  like  to  submit 
their  wills  to  a  higher  will  or  to  subject  their hves  to 
a  program  that  they  did  not  shape.  Like  the  lowly 
entrance  to  a  lofty  room;  however,  obedience  is  the 
way  by  which  we  enter  upon  the  Christian  life.  The 
act  of  surrender  is  one  of  yielding;  but  the  gain  is 
eternal  in  its  rewards  and  satisfactions. 


SERMON  TWENTY-NINE 

Every  kingdom  must  be  founded  on  established 
laws  and  programs  of  orderly  procedure.  The 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  no  exception  to  this.  Jesus 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  new  order  of  life  in 
certain  profound  principles.  Three  of  these  we 
are  to  treat  in  the  sermon  of  the  day. 

The  first  point  to  be  borne  in  mind  is  the  exceed- 
ing simplicity  of  the  three  laws.  They  are  so  well 
known,  so  plain,  so  practical  that  we  do  not  regard 
them  as  seriously  as  we  might  if  they  were  not  a 
part  of  the  very  fundamental  morality  and  relig- 
ious training  which  is  in  our  best  homes.  These 
three  laws  are  much  like  an  axiom  in  mathematics ; 


184  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

they  do  not  admit  of  discussion.  They  are  ac- 
cepted without  dissent.  The  reason  approves  at 
least  the  first  two  with  no  debate. 

Now  this  makes  it  all  the  more  difficult  to  handle 
these  great  laws.  Of  course,  the  instinctive  reply 
is,  we  believe  in  the  law  of  love  and  the  Golden 
Rule  and  the  great  rules  of  life  contained  in  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount.  And  it  is  the  task  of  the 
preacher  in  this  sermon  to  make  these  old  and  ac- 
cepted laws  glow  with  new  meaning  and  drive 
home  to  the  practical  life  of  the  congregation  with 
new  power.  This  sermon  seems  to  be  easy  to 
prepare;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  difficult  to  inform 
these  old  and  familiar  laws  with  new  content.  We 
must  gather  illustrations  and  make  application  that 
will  bring  the  laws  out  of  the  abstract  and  make 
them  live  in  the  daily  lives  of  men. 

Some  years  ago  Samuel  M.  Jones  of  Toledo 
gained  the  name  of  "  Golden  Rule  "  Jones  because 
of  the  way  in  which  he  tried  to  run  his  business  and 
the  affairs  of  the  city  of  which  he  was  Mayor.  He 
wrote  a  great  many  letters  to  all  sorts  of  people 
connected  with  his  corporation,  and  many  of  these 
are  gathered  in  a  volume  rare  now  but  worth  many 
times  the  price  of  some  of  the  "  best  sellers."  Here 
is  one  of  his  illustrations  of  one  of  the  laws  of  the 
kingdom : 

"A  recent  instance  of  heroism  in  every-day  life 
indicates  the  growing  power  of  the  Golden  Rule. 
A  couple  of  months  ago  two  negroes  in  Indianapo- 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  185 

lis  were  inside  a  steam-boiler  cleaning  it,  when  some 
one  who  was  not  aware  that  the  men  were  inside, 
opened  a  cock  and  turned  scalding  hot  steam  from 
another  boiler  in  on  the  men.  The  only  way  of 
escape  was  up  a  ladder  through  a  manhole.  In- 
stantly both  men  jumped  for  the  ladder;  the  man 
reaching  it  first  had  ascended  two  or  three  steps ;  a 
thought  struck  him  and  he  stepped  down ;  he  turned 
to  his  companion  and  said :  '  You  go  first,  Jim,  you 
are  married/  Jim  was  saved  to  his  family  and  the 
other  black-skinned  hero  was  cooked  to  his  death 
by  the  boiling  steam." 

There  are  scores  of  similar  stories  that  illustrate 
the  power  of  the  great  laws  of  the  Kingdom. 
They  do  actually  work.  Men  are  saved  from  sin 
and  selfishness  by  the  power  of  the  ruling  principles 
of  the  Kingdom.  We  must  be  careful  not  to  use 
what  is  commonly  called  the  "  sob  stuff  "  in  our 
sermons;  but  a  piece  of  honest  narrative  like  the 
foregoing  drives  the  truth  home  and  makes  the 
laws  of  the  Kingdom  glorious. 

Laws  of  the  Kingdom 

Every  kingdom  is  an  "  order  "  of  life,  a  practical 
way  of  living.  Therefore  it  must  have  Its  laws,  in 
obedience  to  which  freedom  is  found.  The  har- 
monious relationships  of  life  are  Imperative  to  wel- 
fare and  progress. 

The  law  of  love. — See  Matt.  22 :  35-40.  Summed 
up  briefly,  this  says:  Love  God  with  all  your  being. 
There  must  be  nothing  partial  in  the  loyal  affection 


186  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

that  we  render  our  God.  He  must  be  given  an  in- 
telligent love.  We  are  not  to  love  blindly  or  vi^ith 
bigoted  tenacity.  Christ  wins  the  approval  of  our 
minds  as  well  as  of  our  hearts.  Our  wills  must  go 
into  it  as  well  as  our  emotions ;  the  whole  personality 
must  answer  God's  claim.  Then  we  must  love  our 
neighbour  as  we  love  ourselves;  we  must  love  our 
neighbour  in  order  to  increase  our  love  for  our  own 
best  selves;  we  must  love  and  perfect  our  best 
selves  in  order  to  love  and  serve  our  neighbour. 

The  Golden  Rule. — See  Matt.  7 :  12.  Summed  up 
briefly  this  means  that  we  must  perform  for  others 
all  those  acts  which,  done  to  us  by  others,  would 
promote  our  highest  welfare.  We  want  just  treat- 
ment; then  we  must  treat  others  justly.  We  want 
to  be  forgiven;  then  we  must  forgive  others.  We 
want  to  be  dealt  with  patiently;  then  we  must  deal 
patiently  with  others.  Setting  the  standard  by 
which  others  are  to  determine  their  conduct  toward 
us,  we  set  the  standard  by  which  our  conduct  to- 
ward others  is  to  be  determined. 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount. — See  Matt.  5-7. 
Summed  up  briefly  this  offers  a  simple  program  for 
daily  conduct  which  would  issue  in  such  a  just,  kind 
world  as  humanity  never  yet  has  known.  Here  the 
great  motives  of  life  that  lead  to  noble  action  are 
set  forth  simply.  It  begins  with  the  promise  of 
earthly  happiness  and  closes  with  the  promise  of 
eternal  satisfaction.  It  is  the  greatest  program  of 
human  joy  and  well-being  that  ever  has  been  of- 
fered to  mankind.  Jesus  proved  by  His  own  life 
that  its  principles  could  be  successfully  carried  out. 


SEEMON  OUTLINES  187 

It  is  worth  our  highest  endeavours  to  attain  it;  it  is 
God's  way  for  us  to  follow. 

SERMON  THIRTY 

We  now  come  to  study  the  rewards  and  perma- 
nent satisfactions  of  the  Christian  life  as  they  are 
realized  in  the  relationships  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  Too  little  has  been  said  about  the  durable 
gifts  of  this  relationship  as  they  appear  in  daily 
life.  Three  of  them  are  to  be  considered ;  but  these 
are  only  examples  of  the  gifts  which  come  to  men 
in  the  service  of  Christ. 

The  one  that  we  emphasize  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  sermon  ought  to  be  stressed  more  often  in  our 
preaching.  The  world  sorely  needs  the  gift  of  joy 
and  men  are  seeking  it  in  all  kinds  of  ways.  There 
is  only  one  true  source  of  happiness.  It  is  found 
in  the  service  of  Christ.  Every  other  ground  of 
satisfaction  fails;  this  never  ceases  to  be  the  firm 
foundation.  No  disappointment  or  disaster  can 
possibly  overwhelm  us  when  we  are  in  personal 
union  with  the  living  Christ.  Men  have  proved 
this  with  apparently  every  obstacle  against  them 
and  have  sung  their  hymn  of  victory  in  the  face  of 
those  experiences  which  have  struck  others  dumb. 

The  great  expression  of  this  truth  is  in  the  life 
of  Jesus  Himself.  We  have  represented  Him  so 
long  as  the  Man  of  Sorrows  that  we  have  missed 
the  fact  of  His  perfectly  glorious  happiness.  He 
met  the  hardest  experiences  that  can  come  to  a 


188  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

human  being;  but  in  the  very  crisis  of  His  Hfe  He 
talked  about  His  joy. 

Not  only  was  He  happy  Himself  but  He  shared 
the  happiness  of  others.  He  understood  the  for- 
gotten aspect  of  sympathy,  "  rejoice  with  them 
that  rejoice."  Jesus  entered  into  the  happiness  of 
a  wedding  feast  and  He  shared  the  joy  of  the  ban- 
quet. 

His  happiness  was  grounded  in  His  conscious- 
ness of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

"As  Chesterton  has  said,  we  cannot  in  the  end 
rejoice  in  anything  less  than  the  whole  scheme  of 
things.  The  profoundest  truths  which  theology 
has  ever  tried  to  handle  are  involved  in  the  issue  as 
to  whether  life  can  be  happy.  In  the  last  resort  it 
depends  upon  God,  and  upon  the  kind  of  God  He 
Is,  whether  we  can  rejoice.  But  Jesus  was  quite 
sure  of  God — quite  sure  that  the  best  we  can  think 
or  imagine  about  Him  is  not  so  good  as  the  reality. 
He  exhausted  Himself  in  finding  words  and  simi- 
lies  to  suggest  the  greatness  and  splendour  of  God, 
and  seems  to  have  felt  that  He  had  never  managed 
to  convey  the  truth.  Of  course  He  was  a  happy 
man.  And  He  holds  the  supreme  secret  for  all 
who  want  to  be  happy."  * 

The  Privileges  of  the  Kingdom 

For  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  eating  and  drink- 
ing, but  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Spirit  (Rom.  14:17), 

*Gray,  The  Christian  Adventure,  p.  18. 


SERMON  OUTLINES  189 

Membership  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  brings 
many  duties;  but  also  great  privileges  and  rights 
that  are  highly  desirable. 

Righteousness. — The  result  of  allegiance  to  Christ 
and  loyalty  to  the  Kingdom  is  a  changed  life.  Good- 
ness, honour,  integrity,  take  the  place  of  the  old, 
mean,  and  selfish  motives  which  formally  controlled 
our  actions.  A  good  life  is  not  gained  by  the 
mechanical  addition  of  virtues  one  by  one;  it  issues 
from  the  habitual  practice  of  the  ruling  principles 
of  Jesus  which  we  accept  in  faith  and  obedience. 
A  good  life  is  therefore  the  effect  of  union  with 
Christ  in  the  master-motives  of  life. 

Peace. — The  only  way  in  which  the  world  ever 
will  unite  in  the  covenants  and  institutions  that  will 
end  war  and  conflict  of  all  kinds  will  be  to  make  the 
laws  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  the  laws  of  indi- 
vidual and  social  life.  There  is  no  permanent  "  bal- 
ance of  power"  that  can  insure  the  world's  peace. 
Love  and  self-sacrifice  and  justice,  recognized  and 
obeyed  as  the  fundamental  laws  of  life,  will  bring 
the  day  of  peace. 

Joy. — The  race  demands  happiness  with  eager 
hearts.  We  have  the  right  to  be  happy.  But  our 
joy  often  rests  in  shallow  and  passing  experiences. 
The  joys  of  the  Kingdom  are  deep  and  permanent. 
Our  profoundest  happiness  Is  secured  when  we  are 
investing  our  lives  in  the  general  program  in  which 
Jesus  found  His  joy  and  satisfaction.  We  know 
His  happiness,  which  nothing  could  prevent;  it 
rested  in  His  loving  service  to  others,  which  noth- 
ing could  discourage  or  stop.  We  are  to  do  as  Jesus 
did  in  order  to  be  happy  as  Jesus  was  happy^ 


190  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

SERMON  THIRTY-ONE 

Now  we  close  the  series  of  sermons  on  the  King- 
dom of  God  as  expressing  the  message  of  Jesus  and 
summing  up  the  Gospel  of  the  reconciliation  of 
men  to  God  through  union  with  Christ. 

What  is  the  essential  fact  in  the  peace  and  per- 
manence of  a  kingdom?  It  is  loyalty.  Without 
this  the  administration  of  the  kingdom  is  impos- 
sible. When  loyalty  breaks  down  the  kingdom 
perishes. 

The  book  which  sets  this  truth  forth  in  its  re- 
ligious bearing  is  The  Philosophy  of  Loyalty  by 
Josiah  Royce.  The  essential  meaning  of  this  great 
human  trait  is  interpreted  by  Prof.  Royce  and  it  is 
clearly  explained  that  this  truth  applied  to  the  re- 
ligious life  gives  seriousness  and  effectiveness  to 
the  great  experience. 

When  we  pass  into  the  distinctly  Christian  life 
we  recognize  how  valid  this  great  principle  is. 
Christianity  consists  essentially  in  loyalty  to  a  Per- 
son. Perhaps  there  is  no  better  way  in  which  to 
prepare  for  this  sermon  than  to  review  the  situa- 
tion in  which  we  all  live  and  see  how  central  loyalty 
is  to  the  joy  and  permanence  of  the  highest  human 
relationships.  The  whole  business  world  is 
founded  upon  it.  Loyalty  to  one's  work  and  em- 
ployer is  fundamental  to  industry  and  will  be  what- 
ever changes  may  come  into  the  relations  be- 
tween labour  and  capital.     Every   friendship  is 


SEEMON  OUTLIlSrES  191 

founded  in  loyalty.  Unless  we  can  rely  upon  one 
another  in  all  kinds  of  weather  we  cannot  be  real 
friends.  Every  home  is  based  on  simply  trust- 
worthiness on  the  part  of  each  member  of  the 
group.  The  neighbourhood  depends  for  its  wel- 
fare upon  the  loyalty  to  the  common  interests  of 
the  families  that  compose  it.  That  which  will  pro- 
mote the  commonwealth  lays  its  imperial  claim 
upon  the  interest  and  the  loyal  devotion  of  the 
members  of  the  community.  The  Church  is  also 
founded  upon  the  same  principle.  Allegiance  to 
creeds  that  are  to  be  defended  must  be  crowned  by 
personal  loyalties  of  the  finest  type  if  the  Church  is 
really  to  become  the  corporation  of  Christ.  The 
political  order  depends  upon  loyalty.  Every  civic 
institution  calls  for  the  exercise  of  this  high  virtue. 
The  betrayal  of  public  trust  is  only  a  sign  of  the 
breakdown  of  loyalty.  And  thus  the  background 
is  prepared  for  the  truth  that  the  Christian  religion 
consists  in  loyalty  to  a  Person.  As  we  have  main- 
tained from  the  beginning,  it  Is  through  personal 
relations  with  a  divine  and  living  Saviour  that  we 
complete  the  Christian  experience.  The  supreme 
test  is  loyalty  to  the  Master  Christ. 

Loyalty  to  the  King 

Ye  call  me  Teacher,  and  Lord;  and  ye  say  well; 
for  so  I  am  (John  13:  13). 

Jesus  did  not  hesitate  to  affirm  His  place  of  su- 
preme authority  in  the  Kingdom  of  God.     He  placed 


192  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

His  own  Person  at  the  center  as  the  object  of  loyalty 
on  the  part  of  all  Christians.  The  test  still  is  that 
of  loyalty  to  Christ. 

Loyalty  to  the  King's  truth. — Jesus  brought  the 
truth  by  which  men  may  live  well  and  presented  it 
plainly  so  that  all  may  xmderstand  it.  But  under- 
standing is  not  enough.  We  must  take  the  truth 
that  Jesus  taught  and  exemplified  and  make  it  into 
workable  principles  to  guide  us  in  daily  living.  It 
has  a  sacred  claim  upon  us;  it  is  not  a  merely  ab- 
stract truth.  Test  life  by  what  we  are  doing  with 
the  King's  truth. 

Loyalty  to  the  King's  spirit, — More  important  and 
imperial  than  all  that  Jesus  taught  was  the  spirit  in 
which  He  lived  and  served  His  age.  There  is  per- 
fect union  between  His  words  and  His  spirit ;  but  it 
is  the  spirit  that  is  supreme.  This  spirit  also  comes 
to  us  with  a  personal  claim.  It  demands  that  we 
shall  bring  our  own  lives  under  the  sway  of  the 
same  high  mood  and  sacrificial  temper.  When  we 
do  this  we  are  sure  that  our  life  will  be  useful  and 
happy.  We  may  miss  the  attainments  that  the  world 
calls  fortunate;  but  we  shall  have  the  inner  peace 
and  joy  that  the  world  cannot  give  or  take  away. 
Test  life  by  what  we  are  doing  with  the  King's 
spirit. 

Loyalty  to  the  King's  Person. — Either  Jesus  was 
the  rightful  Commander  of  men's  lives  or  He  was 
the  most  audacious  of  proud  leaders ;  for  He  dared 
to  make  loyalty  to  His  Person  the  test  of  life  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  He  said,  Follow  me.  He  put 
Himself  at  the  center  of  the  love  and  the  service  that 


SERMOl^  OUTLINES  19S 

men  should  seek  to  render  to  God  and  to  one  an- 
other. It  is  still  so.  Christians  are  those  who  have 
yielded  their  wills  to  Christ  and  are  utterly  loyal  to 
Him  as  well  as  to  His  truth  and  spirit.  They  think 
of  themselves  as  still  the  followers  and  disciples  of 
a  Person.  Jesus  does  not  walk  at  their  sides  but 
He  reigns  in  their  hearts.  He  is  not  with  them  at 
the  table  or  in  the  street;  but  He  is  actually  with 
them  in  their  inmost  purposes  and  endeavours.  When 
they  are  sure  of  this  and  loyal  to  all  that  the  truth 
involves  they  are  strong  and  happy.  Test  life  by 
loyalty  to  Christ  Himself. 


SERMON  THIRTY-TWO 

In  this  last  sermon  of  the  series  in  which  the 
Gospel  is  presented  to  the  community  we  undertake 
to  show  the  practical  meaning  of  the  truth  concern- 
ing eternal  life.  One  of  the  most  serious  charges 
made  against  Christians  is  to  claim  that,  whatever 
they  may  believe  about  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
they  behave  as  if  they  were  simply  mortal.  The 
great  truth  may  be  in  their  theories;  but  it  is  not 
active  in  their  lives.  Now  if  this  is  so,  it  is  a  most 
serious  fault.  We  need  not  discuss  the  validity  of 
the  charge ;  we  must  present  the  fact  of  immortality 
with  such  clearness  and  conviction  that  men  will  be 
ready  to  make  practical  use  of  the  truth  and  regu- 
late their  conduct  according  to  it. 

The  matter  has  been  put  vividly  as  follows: 


194  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

"  The  truth  is,  we  must  live,  and  we  must  Hvc 
by  some  kind  of  beUef  or  disbeHef.  Now  either 
the  soul  persists  after  death  or  it  does  not.  These 
are  the  alternatives,  there  is  no  other.  You  may 
ignore  the  whole  question,  and  even  pour  contempt 
on  those  who  expend  thought  upon  it,  but  you  do 
not  thereby  get  rid  of  either  horn  of  the  dilemma, 
the  great  Either-Or  on  which  hang  interests  un- 
speakably momentous.  Immortality  is  either  a  fact 
or  it  is  a  falsehood.  Do  you  say:  Granted,  but  I 
am  in  no  position  to  prove  it  to  be  either  one  or 
other,  therefore  I  can  make  no  affirmation  either  by 
way  of  belief  or  disbelief.  Very  well,  but  you  are 
living  as  if  one  or  the  other  were  true.  Logically 
you  may  be  entitled  to  the  name  '  agnostic,'  but  in 
actual  practice  you  are  a  believer'  or  a  disbe- 
liever." ' 

This  is  the  point  that  we  are  seeking  to  bring 
out  in  this  sermon.  Dr.  McComb  speaks  of  our 
action  as  "  the  ethics  of  an  eternal  being." 
The  ordinary  standards  and  the  great  life  ob- 
jectives of  the  Christian  must  be  those  of  "  an 
eternal  being."  We  are  not  here  as  citizens  of 
time  only.  The  work  that  we  do  is  not  carried  on 
as  if  it  were  to  cease  or  to  come  to  its  full  fruition 
within  the  scope  of  an  average  human  life.  There 
are  far  deeper  values  in  it.  We  must  not  act  ac- 
cording to  mortal  but  rather  according  to  immortal 

*  The  Future  Life  in  the  Light  of  Modern  Inquiry,  by 
Samuel  McComb,  1920,  p.  25. 


SERMON  OUTLINES  195 

standards.  This  is  a  truth  that  we  can  apply  in 
the  busiest  day  and  from  which  we  can  derive  in- 
spiration and  hope  in  the  darkest  hour. 

Sons  of  the  Resurrection 

Sons  of  God,  being  sons  of  the  resurrection  (Luke 
20:36). 

Christians  have  been  well  called  the  Children  of 
the  Resurrection.  The  Christian  life  is  accurately 
described  as  the  practice  of  the  life  eternal.  The 
peril  attending  our  belief  in  immortality  is  that  it 
will  be  immortal  in  our  theories  but  dead  in  our 
lives.  The  urgent  obligation  upon  all  Christians  is 
to  live  day  by  day  as  if  each  were  a  part  of  the 
eternal  life,  imparting  immortal  meaning  to  mortal 
life.     Four  principles  are  valid: 

All  acts  have  eternal  value. — No  deed  is  some- 
thing simply  done  and  ended.  It  goes  on  forever 
in  its  influence.  It  must  reach  its  conclusion  some- 
time and  bear  its  inevitable  fruit.  We  cannot  say 
good-bye  to  our  deeds;  we  shall  meet  them  again! 
Therefore  the  fact  of  immortality  adds  the  greatest 
possible  meaning  and  worth  to  all  our  deeds  and 
duties. 

All  souls  have  eternal  worth. — If  the  soul  is  en- 
dowed with  immortal  value  how  can  we  injure  it 
whether  it  be  our  own  or  that  of  a  comrade.  It  is 
more  durable  and  precious  than  anything  else  we 
know.  True  respect  for  ourselves  and  for  others  is 
derived  from  this  fact  of  the  deathless  value  of  the 
human  spirit.  Kindness  and  social  obligation  find 
their  highest  warrant  in  this  truth.    God's  image 


196  EVANGELISTIC  PEE  ACHING 

in  man  and  the  fact  of  immortality  make  our  earthly 
life  significant  and  beautiful. 

God's  highest  purposes  for  man's  welfare  involve 
eternity. — We  know  how  short  the  span  of  human 
life  on  earth  is.  But  the  resources  of  eternity  are 
in  God's  hands.  We  may  see  only  the  broken  arc 
here ;  but  there  is  still  possible  the  "  perfect  round  " 
in  the  eternal  world.  We  might  easily  despair  if 
the  span  of  mortal  life  and  the  small  resources  of 
earth  were  available  for  the  perfection  of  God's  pur- 
poses. But  when  we  reckon  with  eternity  we  take 
courage  and  join  more  eagerly  in  partnership  with 
God  to  realize  our  supreme  good. 

New  power  for  daily  life  issues  from  this  truth. — 
The  treasures  of  hope  and  fresh  resolution  open 
from  this  truth.  Immortality  does  not  remain  a 
doctrine  about  which  to  speculate  but  a  truth  by 
which  to  live.  It  brings  confidence  and  joy  into 
even  the  hardest  situations,  for  heaven  and  earth 
are  one  and  eternity  will  see  time's  task  completed. 


PART  III 

Talks  to  Children  and  Young 
People 


TALKS  TO  CHILDREN  AND  YOUNG 
PEOPLE 

APART  of  the  work  of  the  preacher  or 
evangeUst  in  a  church  mission  or  campaign 
will  be  concerned  with  the  children  and 
young  people,  to  whom  he  will  seek  to  bring  the 
Gospel  as  a  message  of  life,  suited  to  their  needs 
and  designed  to  bring  them  into  such  a  natural 
and  deliberate  union  with  Christ  as  will  make  them 
happy  and  victorious  Christians. 

It  will  be  necessary  at  the  outset  to  present  the 
Christian  message  to  them  in  such  ways  as  will 
show  them  that  the  Christian  religion  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  their  lives  in  home  and  school  and 
as  they  begin  their  business  careers.  That  there  is 
need  of  this  admits  of  no  doubt.  After  a  talk  to  a 
group  of  High  School  pupils  an  earnest  girl  said: 
"  I  never  supposed  before  that  religion  had  any- 
thing to  do  with  my  home  or  school  work."  When 
she  was  questioned  she  added  that  she  had  thought 
of  religion  as  something  that  involved  going  to 
church  and  saying  prayers  and  not  doing  certain 
things  which  the  church  people  were  supposed  to 
object  to.  But  she  never  had  thought  that  religion 
had  any  power  to  determine  the  quality  of  the 
work  one  did  at  school,  the  kind  of  a  game  one 

199 


200  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

played  and  the  sort  of  a  friend  one  proved  to  be 
in  the  week-day  relationships  of  an  office.  When 
she  saw  that  this  was  just  the  world  in  which  the 
fact  of  her  loyalty  to  Christ  was  to  be  tested  and 
proved  she  had  a  new  conception  of  religion. 

It  is  this  old  problem  of  remoteness  that  we  have 
to  reckon  with.  The  message  of  Christ  had  been 
connected  up  in  her  mind  with  certain  duties  car- 
ried out  on  Sundays,  with  distant  rewards  and 
punishments  in  a  far-away  heaven,  with  certain 
denials  and  restraints.  She  never  had  seen  that  to 
be  a  Christian  meant  to  gain  power  to  become 
what  she  ought  to  be  as  a  child  of  God. 

Therefore  if  it  is  possible  in  the  church  mission 
to  gather  the  children  and  young  people  for  meet- 
ings by  themselves,  let  the  subjects  be  such  as  suit 
their  particular  problems  and  surroundings.  The 
same  message  that  is  brought  to  the  adults  may  be 
brought  to  them ;  but  it  must  be  in  different  terms 
and  with  a  different  approach. 

The  following  suggestions  are  therefore  offered 
for  the  meetings  of  the  children  and  young  people, 
in  the  hope  that,  as  in  the  case  of  the  sermons,  they 
may  be  freely  adapted  to  the  occasions  and  fitted  to 
the  temper  and  the  problems  of  childhood  and 
youth. 

The  nine  talks  that  follow  are  grouped  around 
the  idea  of  Loyalty,  which  is  one  that  all  children 
and  young  people  understand  thoroughly.  It  is 
fundamental  to  their  action.     It  figures  in  their 


TALKS  TO  YOUNG  PEOPLE  201 

groups  and  gangs.  The  whole  matter  of  "  snitch- 
ing "  or  "  tattHng  "  gathers  around  a  conception  of 
loyalty  for  which  they  will  often  suffer  intensely. 
The  subjects  chosen  are  those  that  have  to  do 
with  the  daily  living  of  those  to  whom  the  talks 
are  addressed.  This  seem.s  better  than  to  take 
anything  at  all  remote  from  life.  One  need  not 
fear  to  be  specific  and  to  hew  to  the  line  in  talking 
with  children  and  youth  about  the  fundamental 
problems  of  life.  They  are  willing  to  listen  to 
plain  speaking.  Therefore  make  the  applications 
of  the  truth  clear  and  do  not  flinch.  They  will 
respect  complete  honesty  of  statement.  They  like 
to  have  the  truth  put  with  perfect  impartiality,  and 
above  all  things  they  do  not  like  to  be  patronized 
or  talked  down  to.  Respect  their  intelligence,  their 
honesty  and  their  willingness  to  respond  to  the 
claims  of  a  truth  even  if  it  involves  some  sacrifices. 

TALK  ONE 
Loyal  to  Christ 

''Follow  me"  (Matt.  9:9). 

We  all  follow  leaders  and  are  loyal  to  those  who 
command  our  respect  and  friendship.  We  ought 
to  be  loyal  to  the  noblest  and  best  leader.  Jesus 
is  the  best  Leader  whom  we  possibly  could  follow. 
These  are  some  of  the  reasons: 

Because  of  the  happy,  useful  life  that  He  lived. 
We  catch  glimpses  of  Him  from  the  time  He  was  a 
child  until  He  died  when  He  was  a  little  more  than 


202  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

thirty  years  old,  and  always  He  is  helping  others, 
living  in  a  brave  and  happy  way,  and  being  the  kind 
of  a  person  that  we  would  like  to  be.  It  is  worth 
while  to  be  loyal  to  such  a  Leader. 

Because  of  the  noble  rules  for  life  that  He  gave. 
There  is  no  other  great  teacher  whose  rules  for  liv- 
ing are  so  lofty  and  so  simple  and  so  possible  to 
carry  out.  Take  the  so-called  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
in  Matthew  5-7  as  an  example.  If  we  would  prac- 
tice these  principles  steadily  the  whole  world  would 
be  changed.  It  would  prevent  the  sins  and  the  wars 
that  make  life  miserable  for  mankind.  It  would 
take  away  the  strife  from  our  homes,  the  conflict 
from  our  labour  world,  and  give  us  peace  and  good 
will  everywhere. 

Because  of  the  character  which  His  friendship 
creates.  No  one  would  claim  that  the  followers  of 
Christ  have  been  perfect  men  and  women.  Many 
have  come  into  the  church  claiming  to  be  loyal  to 
Him  who  have  not  been  worthy  of  the  relationship. 
But  on  the  whole,  during  all  the  course  of  Chris- 
tian history,  there  has  been  a  type  of  people  who 
have  been  the  loyal  followers  of  Christ;  and  these 
have  been  the  best,  the  bravest  and  the  happiest  peo- 
ple that  the  world  ever  has  seen.  The  leaders  in 
all  the  movements  for  the  uplift  of  mankind  have 
been  the  followers  of  Jesus.  The  men  and  women 
who  have  made  the  greatest  sacrifices  for  others 
have  been  Christians.  The  finest  ideal  characters 
have  been  created  through  loyalty  to  Christ. 

This  is  the  warrant  for  accepting  Jesus  as  Master 
and  giving  Him  the  first  place  in  our  lives. 


TALKS  TO  YOUNG  PEOPLE  203 


TALK  TWO 
Loyal  to  Christ  at  Home 

*'And  he  went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Naza- 
reth; and  he  was  subject  unto  them:  and  his  mother 
kept  all  these  sayings  in  her  heart'*  (Luke  2:  51). 

One  of  the  places  where  we  are  to  show  our 
loyalty  to  Jesus  is  in  our  home  life.  Every  glimpse 
that  we  have  of  Jesus  shows  Him  to  have  been  true 
to  all  the  relations  of  His  home  in  Nazareth.  Are 
we  also  happy  and  comfortable  to  live  with?  Make 
the  following  tests : 

Getting  the  unselfish  family  spirit.  Jesus  had 
this:  He  was  "  subject  unto  "  his  father  and  mother. 
He  obeyed.  He  fitted  His  life  into  the  life  of  the 
home.  He  gave  up  His  individual  rights  and  pleas- 
ures for  the  higher  duties  and  privileges  of  the 
home.  We  cannot  have  our  own  way  all  the  time 
if  we  are  to  live  with  others.  The  unselfish  spirit 
of  Jesus  is  the  only  one  that  ever  will  produce  a 
happy  home. 

Doing  our  part  of  the  family  work.  This  tests 
the  unselfish  spirit.  No  home  can  be  happy  and 
prosperous  unless  the  labour  is  divided  and  each  one 
according  to  his  ability  does  his  fair  share.  The 
family  does  not  exist  simply  to  serve  its  members; 
the  members  are  to  serve  one  another  in  the  family. 
The  same  faithfulness  and  happy  temper  that  we 
put  into  some  great  work  we  must  also  put  into  the 
little  duties  that  are  our  part  of  the  home  life. 

Being  patient  in  home  life.  We  know  each  other 
so  well  in  our  homes  that  it  is  difficult  to  get  along 


204  EVANGELISTIC  PBEACHING 

with  one  another  and  be  sympathetic  and  patient. 
It  is  so  much  easier  to  be  poHte  at  a  party  or  when 
others  are  looking  on  than  it  is  to  keep  from  quick 
answers  and  provoking  acts  with  our  own  brothers 
and  sisters.  But  courtesy  to  our  own  home  folk  is 
essential  in  being  loyal  to  Christ.  He  was  consid- 
erate of  His  mother  and  always  a  gentleman,  even 
with  those  who  knew  Him  best. 

Bringing  out  the  best  in  others.  So  many  times 
members  of  the  same  family  irritate  and  nag  one 
another!  So  they  bring  out  the  worst  in  one  an- 
other instead  of  the  best.  But  people  were  always 
aroused  to  be  and  do  their  best  when  they  were 
with  Jesus.  We  must  see  the  best  in  each  other 
and  try  to  bring  it  out.  This  tests  our  loyalty  to 
Christ. 


TALK  THREE 
Loyal  to  Christ  in  School  Life 

"  Give  diligence  to  present  thyself  approved  unto 
God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  he  ashamed, 
handling  aright  the  word  of  truth  "  (2  Tim.  2:  15). 

The  way  in  which  we  prepare  our  lessons,  meet 
our  friends,  prove  our  loyalty  to  the  highest  ideals 
of  our  school,  is  a  true  test  of  our  sincerity  In  fol- 
lowing Christ. 

Christ  and  our  lessons.  Has  our  loyalty  to  Christ 
anything  to  do  with  the  way  in  which  we  prepare 
our  school  work?  Yes.  If  we  are  honestly  loyal 
to  Christ  we  shall  do  our  hardest  home  work  with 
all  our  might,  and  work  as  faithfully  when  we  are 


TALKS  TO  YOUNG  PEOPLE  205 

not  being  watched  as  we  would  when  we  sit  in  study 
period  with  the  teacher  present.  If  we  are  sure 
that  Christ  is  our  Master  we  will  not  need  to  be 
watched  or  prodded  to  work  hard.  He  was  a 
worker  who  did  not  need  to  be  ashamed.  We  shall 
be  if  we  follow  Him. 

Christ  and  examinations.  The  tendency  to  cheat 
is  one  of  the  hardest  temptations  that  we  meet  in  our 
school  life.  We  have  no  more  right  to  steal  each 
other's  thoughts  and  knowledge  than  we  have  to  rob 
the  gymnasium  lockers.  To  gain  information  by 
whispering  and  looking  over  the  papers  of  others,  to 
use  "  cribs  "  in  an  examination,  to  be  dishonest  in 
any  test  is  to  fail  Christ.  Nothing  less  than  com- 
plete honesty  in  school  work  will  meet  the  conditions 
of  being  loyal  to  Christ. 

Christ  and  the  spirit  of  the  school.  Every  school 
has  what  we  call  its  "  spirit."  It  is  the  sum  of  its 
ideals,  its  enthusiasms  and  its  noblest  loyalties. 
Every  member  of  the  school  makes  or  hurts  the 
school  spirit.  Our  individual  honour,  courtesy, 
faithfulness  contributes  to  the  spirit  of  the  school 
as  a  whole.  The  greatest  gift  we  could  make  to  our 
school  is  to  put  the  spirit  of  Christ  into  all  our  acts. 
It  would  raise  the  whole  temper  of  the  group.  Christ 
is  the  supreme  example  of  what  loyalty  to  others  in 
a  group  will  do.  He  changed  the  whole  life  of  each 
disciple  by  what  He  did  for  him  as  a  Friend.  The 
spirit  of  the  Twelve  Disciples  was  the  finest  that 
we  can  discover.  Jesus  wants  us  to  do  for  the 
spirit  of  our  school  what  He  did  for  His  friends. 


206  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

TALK  FOUR 
Loyal  to  Christ  in  Our  Friendships 

"/  have  called  you  friends"  (John  15:  15). 

There  is  a  place  for  our  reHgion  in  the  working 
out  of  our  friendships.  The  help  that  we  give  to 
one  another  is  of  the  greatest  importance  in  the  mak- 
ing of  our  character.  To  be  the  kind  of  a  friend 
that  Jesus  was  is  to  measure  up  to  the  highest  stand- 
ards of  help  and  happiness. 

Appreciating  the  best  in  others.  We  are  always 
happy  when  our  friends  find  out  the  best  that  is  in 
us  and  appreciate  and  approve  it.  It  encourages  us 
to  try  to  be  what  those  who  love  us  think  we  are 
able  to  become.  If  we  do  to  others  as  we  would 
like  to  have  others  do  to  us  we  will  also  find  and 
appreciate  the  best  that  is  in  our  friends.  If  there 
are  faults  in  them  we  will  give  our  friends  the  bene- 
fit of  the  doubt. 

Being  kind  and  patient  with  our  friends.  How 
patient  Jesus  was  with  such  disciples  as  Peter,  who 
did  not  understand  Him,  and,  in  the  hardest  hour 
of  His  life,  denied  Him !  It  looked  as  if  there  were 
nothing  left  of  Peter  but  a  miserable  traitor  and 
failure.  But  Jesus  stood  by  him  and  in  time  he  be- 
came one  of  the  great  apostles  and  gave  his  life  at 
last  for  the  Master  whom  he  had  denied.  If  we 
are  loyal  to  Christ  we  are  ready  to  be  patient  and 
kind  with  our  comrades  and  daily  work  and  school. 
They  make  mistakes ;  but  so  do  we.  They  need  an- 
other chance;  so  do  we.  They  generally  will  make 
good;  so  shall  we. 


TALKS  TO  YOUNG  PEOPLE  207 

Taking  a  real  part  in  the  personal  problems  of  our 
friends.  The  way  in  which  Jesus  added  His  per- 
sonal influence  to  the  struggle  of  His  friends  to  at- 
tain their  ideals  points  out  the  way  in  which  we  may 
be  of  the  greatest  help  to  others.  It  is  more  im- 
portant that  we  should  give  our  friends  the  force 
of  a  right  example,  the  strength  of  real  encourage- 
ment, the  lift  of  a  high  ideal  than  that  we  should 
take  them  to  parties,  give  them  rides  in  our  auto- 
mobiles or  do  any  other  pleasant  thing  that  will 
simply  make  them  happy  and  comfortable. 


TALK  FIVE 

Loyal  to  Christ  in  Play 
"And  if  also  a  man  contend  in  the  games,  he  is  not 
crowned,  except  he  have  contended  lawfully"  (2  Tim. 

2:5)- 

Is  sport  religious  ?  Is  it  not  "  worldly  "  ?  Does 
being  loyal  to  Christ  have  anything  to  do  with  the 
way  we  play? 

The  secret  of  true  sport  is  the  game, not  the  victory. 
Start  with  this  fact.  It  is  not  supremely  important 
whether  or  not  we  win ;  it  is  all  important  whether  or 
not  we  play  fair.  A  victory  won  by  foul  means  is  a 
real  defeat.  Many  a  man  carries  a  foul  conscience 
because  he  knows  that  he  won  by  an  undetected  trick. 
We  cannot  be  loyal  to  Christ  and  use  any  dishonour- 
able method  even  to  gain  a  most  desirable  end. 
Christian  players  have  white  consciences  and  clean 
hands. 

Fair  play  is  a  Christian  art.     It  starts  with  self- 


208  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

control.  One  must  gain  mastery  of  himself  before 
he  can  control  a  group  play.  Jesus  was  always  in 
command  of  Himself.  He  never  let  go  in  fits  of 
passion.  He  never  let  His  vanity  get  the  upper  hand 
so  that  He  preferred  an  individual  play  to  a  team 
play.  The  success  of  the  whole  was  put  ahead  of 
His  own  reputation  or  advantage.  Then  fair  play 
goes  on  to  a  clear  sense  of  comradeship  and  loyalty 
to  the  group.  Fair  play  is  always  social.  It  brings 
the  action  and  the  interests  of  others  into  considera- 
tion. Jesus  was  a  perfect  example  of  this  sense.  He 
thought  of  the  interests  of  every  member  of  His  group 
of  friends  and  He  sought  first  the  welfare  of  the 
whole  company.  Thus  fair  play  sometimes  involves 
the  sacrifice  of  the  individual  to  the  success  of  the 
game  as  a  whole.  It  is  what  is  known  as  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  "  sacrifice  hit,"  where  an  individual 
player,  for  the  sake  of  the  runners  on  bases,  places 
his  hit  and  is  put  out  in  order  to  give  running  time 
to  his  comrades.  The  team  is  always  more  than  the 
**  star  "  player.  Sometimes  the  "  star  "  is  a  nuisance 
to  the  team.  To  blend  our  own  interests  with  those 
of  the  group  and  then  to  yield  them  willingly  to  the 
success  of  the  whole  Is  one  of  the  best  tests  we  can 
make  of  our  loyalty  to  Christ. 


TALK  SIX 

Loyal  to  Christ  in  Daily  Work 
"Is  not  this  the  carpenter? "  (Mark  6:3). 
The  way  in  which  we  do  our  daily  work  con- 
stantly tests  our  loyalty  to  Christ. 


TALKS  TO  YOUNG  PEOPLE  209 

There  is  a  Christian  standard  for  labour.  It 
grows  out  of  the  Golden  Rule.  If  any  one  were 
working  for  us  we  would  feel  that  he  should  give  an 
honest  return  for  the  wages  he  was  paid.  Any  one 
who  does  less  than  his  best,  therefore,  in  working  for 
others  is  not  doing  to  others  as  he  would  have  others 
do  to  him.  Also,  out  of  loyalty  to  the  work  itself, 
we  ought  to  do  our  utmost  and  best.  All  work  is 
done,  not  for  wages  alone,  but  for  the  work  itself f 
If  it  is  worth  doing  it  is  worth  doing  in  the  best 
possible  way  that  we  can  do  it. 

There  is  a  Christian  spirit  in  labour.  This  demands 
more  than  just  the  amount  of  work  that  we  do;  it 
has  to  do  with  the  temper  or  mood  in  which  we 
work.  One  may  do  all  that  is  required,  but  accom- 
plish it  in  such  a  temper  of  grudging  complaint  that 
the  beauty  of  it  is  quite  spoiled.  To  whine  through 
a  job  may  ruin  it,  even  although  we  succeed  in 
getting  it  fully  done  on  time.  Christian  work  is 
happy  work.  That  is  the  way  in  which  Jesus  threw 
Himself  into  labour. 

There  is  a  Christian  reward  of  labour.  It  ought  to 
be  first  a  fair  return  in  wages,  based  not  merely  on 
the  price  in  labour  in  the  market,  but  upon  a  just 
division  of  the  product  of  the  work  done.  But  the 
greater  reward  comes  from  seeing  a  piece  of  neces- 
sary work  done  and  done  well.  One  of  the  highest 
joys  we  know  is  to  look  at  something  that  we  have 
done  and  feel  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we 
have  put  our  very  best  self  into  it  and  that  it  is  a 
credit  to  us.  If  this  is  an  office  job,  or  a  task  on  the 
farm,  or  something  done  around  the  house  for  the 


210  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

good  of  the  family,  or  a  hard  lesson  in  school,  the 
principle  holds  in  each  case.  This  reward  cannot  be 
estimated  in  dollars  and  cents.  It  is  the  inner  satis- 
faction that  comes  from  knowing  that  our  hands 
have  shared  in  the  doing  of  something  that  makes  it 
easier  and  better  for  others  to  live.  This  is  to  be 
loyal  to  Christ. 

TALK  SEVEN 

Loyal  to  Christ  in  Our  Personal  Example 

"Let  no  man  despise  thy  youth;  but  he  thou  an 
ensample  to  them  that  believe,  in  word,  in  manner  of 
life,  in  love,  in  faith,  in  purity  "  (i  Tim.  4:  12). 

The  power  of  personal  example  is  almost  bound- 
less ;  we  begin  our  life  as  imitators  of  others  and  we 
never  cease  to  be  swayed  by  personal  example.  Our 
highest  duty  in  setting  an  example  to  others  is  to 
represent  Christ  to  them.  Five  aspects  of  personal 
example  are  indicated  in  the  text : 

In  our  words.  Note  the  power  of  speech.  What 
we  say  not  only  reveals  the  quality  of  our  lives;  but 
it  exerts  deep  and  strong  influence  upon  others.  To 
speak  the  right  word  in  the  right  way  at  the  right 
time  is  a  Christian  art.  We  must  guard  our  words 
carefully. 

"  Boys  flying  kites  pull  in  their  white  winged  birds ; 
You  can't  do  that  when  you  are  flying  words." 

In  daily  action.  What  we  do  speaks  louder  than 
what  we  say.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  trivial 
deed.     It  may  escape  us  with  little  thought  of  its 


TALKS  TO  YOUNG  PEOPLE  211 

power;  but  it  may  exert  the  deepest  influence  upon 
another.  We  know  that  some  of  the  greatest  men 
have  had  their  lives  swayed  by  the  smallest  acts  of 
others. 

In  love.  We  cannot  all  be  famous  or  rich ;  but  we 
can  all  love  and  be  kind.  The  strongest  forces  in  all 
the  world  are  those  that  spring  from  a  loving  pur- 
pose. Love  is  not  easy.  It  takes  all  the  strength  and 
decision  of  the  strongest  character  to  love  good 
causes  and  all  one's  comrades  truly.  But  it  is  the 
only  life  that  is  worth  while.  In  the  end  our  worth 
and  influence  are  both  measured  by  our  love. 

In  faith.  The  way  we  believe  in  God,  in  goodness 
and  in  one  another  exerts  a  mighty  influence.  Some- 
times the  highest  duty  that  comes  to  us  in  school  or  in 
business  is  to  stand  true  to  a  noble  and  unselfish 
principle,  having  faith  in  it  when  others  refuse  to 
believe.  We  must  prove  that  we  believe  in  goodness 
and  truth  and  will  stand  by  them  whatever  the  cost. 
Such  an  example  counts. 

In  purity.  This  means  a  clean  heart  first  of  all, 
one  that  cherishes  no  hatreds  and  harbours  no  coarse 
thoughts.  It  means  pure  talk  and  courteous  action 
with  our  friends.  It  scorns  stories  that  have  an  un- 
clean meaning  and  suggestions  that  easily  may  be 
turned  into  impure  suggestions.  It  stands  for  the 
noblest  treatment  of  boys  and  girls  by  one  another. 

TALK  EIGHT 
Loyal  to  Christ  in  Personal  Habits 

"  /  do  always  the  things  that  are  pleasing  to  him  " 
(John  8:29). 


212  EVANGELISTIC  PEEAOHING 

It  is  said  that  we  all  are  bundles  of  habits.  That 
which  we  do  regularly,  habitually,  without  thinking 
about  it,  is  the  real  index  of  our  character.  The 
finest  example  of  personal  habits  is  Jesus.  We 
ought  to  work  hard  to  grow  like  Him  in  our  habitual 
action.     Study  these  four  habits: 

The  habit  of  hard  work.  Industry  and  diligence 
lay  the  foundations  of  success  and  are  the  sign  of 
our  religion.  Only  a  few  men  and  women  succeed 
by  what  seems  to  be  genius  or  especial  talent.  Even 
genius  is  nine-tenths  hard  work.  Laziness  is  im- 
moral. It  is  one  way  to  deny  God  when  we  loaf  and 
shirk.     Christ  was  a  worker.     We  must  follow  Him. 

The  habit  of  kindness.  Hard  work  alone  may 
produce  a  hard  character.  Kindness  is  the  force 
that  binds  the  family  group  together  and  makes  the 
whole  home  cheerful.  It  comes  into  business  life 
with  the  richest  blessings.  It  seems  only  a  slight 
thing  to  be  kind;  but  it  is  one  of  the  noblest  of 
habits.  It  means  that  we  put  ourselves  into  the 
place  of  another  and  try  to  use  generous  judgments. 
It  brings  help  and  courage  to  others  quite  beyond 
the  apparent  power  of  the  kind  act  or  generous  word. 

The  habit  of  helping.  We  all  need  help.  We 
are  neither  wise  enough  nor  strong  enough  to  live 
wholly  by  ourselves.  So  we  must  gain  the  habit  of 
lifting  loads  for  others  as  we  need  help  ourselves. 
A  divided  task  brings  greater  joy  to  both  who  share 
the  burden.  We  all  like  to  be  independent  and  we 
must  not  thrust  ourselves  upon  others;  but  we  need 
help  and  we  must  learn  to  give  help  in  the  natural 
and  beautiful  way  in  which  Jesus  did.    No  person 


TALKS  TO  YOUNG  PEOPLE  213 

ever  met  Jesus  without  gaining  new  strength  in  some 
way  for  the  work  that  he  was  doing. 

The  habit  of  faith.  What  a  large  place  is  occu- 
pied in  life  by  faith  or  trust!  We  must  trust  na- 
ture, of  which  we  are  a  part.  We  must  trust  our 
comrades,  with  whom  we  have  to  work  out  the 
problems  of  our  common  life.  We  must  trust  ideals 
and  hopes,  which  inspire  us  to  high  and  noble  living. 
Most  of  all,  we  must  trust  God,  the  great  object  of 
faith,  and  Christ,  the  great  Master.  We  can  learn 
to  do  this  so  steadily  that  it  grows  into  a  habit.  So 
we  shall  live  well  because  we  trust  great  principles 
and  are  loyal  to  Christ. 

TALK  NINE 
Loyal  to  Christ  in  Personal  Ambition 

"My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me, 
and  to  accomplish  his  work  "  (John  4:  34). 

Our  personal  ambition  is,  like  the  chart  and  com- 
pass to  the  navigator  or  the  base  line  to  the  surveyor, 
essential  to  our  success  or  failure  in  life.  The  high- 
est ambition  that  we  possibly  could  have  is  that 
which  controlled  Jesus.  There  are  different  aspects 
of  it. 

The  ambition  to  live  the  best  life  possible.  Jesus 
had  this  ambition.  He  was  eager  to  "  sanctify  "  or 
"  perfect "  Himself  for  the  good  of  others.  This 
means  simply  that  He  yearned  to  live  the  best  possi- 
ble life.  See  John  17:19.  He  took  care  of  His 
body,  trained  His  mind,  made  His  will  power  strong, 
entered  into  the  largest  number  of  available  rela- 
tions with  others,  all  in  order  that  He  might  live  a 


214  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

complete  life.  This  outlines  our  ambition  for  the 
best  life  possible. 

The  ambition  to  make  the  world  better.  Jesus  had 
this  ambition.  He  was  ready  to  help  the  sick  and 
the  poor;  He  gave  every  kind  of  aid  to  those  who 
were  missing  the  meaning  of  life  as  a  result  of  their 
sin.  He  tried  to  make  it  a  more  joyful  and  satis- 
factory experience  to  live.  When  He  had  ended  His 
life  it  could  be  truly  said  that  He  had  made  this 
world  a  better  place  to  live  in  as  long  as  it  should 
last  because  He  had  given  His  best  to  it.  There  is 
a  real  approval  of  this  kind  of  an  ambition  in  all 
honest  hearts ;  the  way  in  which  to  realize  it  is  to  be 
loyal  to  Christ  in  our  daily  thought  and  action. 

The  ambition  to  please  God.  Our  ambition  to  use 
our  lives  for  the  highest  purpose  and  to  help  others 
is  summed  up  in  our  desire  to  know  and  do  God's 
will  in  such  a  way  that  we  may  please  Him.  It  is 
like  a  child's  relation  to  his  own  home.  Parents 
have  high  ideals  for  their  children.  When  those 
ideals  are  taken  up  and  carried  out  by  their  children, 
parents  are  pleased.  That  is,  the  purpose  of  the  par- 
ents for  their  children  becomes  the  highest  ambition 
of  the  children  themselves.  To  follow  Christ  in  our 
personal  ambitions,  therefore,  means  to  do  what  He 
did :  learn  in  every  possible  way  the  will  of  God  and 
then  make  it  the  law  of  our  lives.  We  know  what 
God's  will  for  us  is,  namely,  that  we  should  be  the 
kind  of  a  person  that  Jesus  was,  true  and  brave  and 
trustful,  making  the  utmost  of  ourselves  and  giving 
ourselves  at  our  utmost  to  the  world  in  which  we  live. 


PART  IV 
Special  Gatherings 


MEN'S  MEETINGS,  WOMEN'S  MEETINGS, 
BIBLE  TALKS 

AS  a  part  of  the  church  mission,  the  evan- 
geUstic  campaign  or  even  the  year's 
preaching  organized  around  the  evangeHs- 
tic  message,  there  will  probably  be  meetings  for 
men  alone,  for  women  alone,  or  at  least  for  such 
adult  meetings  as  will  call  for  addresses  of  a  dif- 
ferent type  from  that  required  in  the  sermons  that 
we  have  proposed. 

In  view  of  this  need  we  make  suggestions  of 
texts,  subjects  and  expositions  of  Scripture  (which 
we  have  called  Bible  Talks  for  lack  of  a  better 
name)  suited  to  these  group  meetings.  The  hear- 
ers will  generally  be  men  and  women  who  have 
been  Christians  for  some  years  and  whose  experi- 
ence may  be  trusted  to  afford  the  necessary  back- 
ground for  edifying  and  interpreting  addresses  on 
the  great  characters,  doctrines,  promises,  and  as- 
surances of  the  Bible.  Mr.  Moody  used  to  give 
these  as  "  Bible  Readings,"  and  those  who  remem- 
ber his  directness,  his  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  his 
sense  of  the  needs  of  his  audiences  will  know  what 
power  lay  in  these  simple  studies  of  Bible  truth. 

The  same  adaptation  of  these  suggestions  to  the 
needs  of  the  situation  will,  of  course,  be  made  by 
the  preacher  or  evangelist  as  are  expected  in  con- 
nection with  all  the  texts  and  subjects  that  have 

217 


218  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

been  proposed.  The  topics  are  proposed  more  as 
examples  of  what  may  be  done  than  as  things  to 
be  done  as  they  are  suggested.  But  with  the  pro- 
gram of  the  meetings  in  mind  as  we  have  proposed 
it  these  and  similar  subjects  seem  to  be  suited  to 
use. 

Addresses  for  Men's  Meetings 
In  selecting  the  subjects  for  the  addresses  we 
have  kept  in  mind  the  particular  problems  of  the 
religious  life  of  the  men  of  a  community.  We 
have  had  clearly  before  us  the  informal  character 
of  the  meeting,  and  have  aimed  at  the  directness 
of  style  and  address  that  are  characteristic  of  the 
vigorous  thinking  of  groups  of  men. 

There  has  been  no  change  in  the  message  that 
we  have  been  trying  to  give ;  the  only  modification 
has  been  in  the  close  adaptation  of  the  subjects  and 
method  of  treatment  to  a  particular  group. 

Make  the  applications  of  truth  close;  seek  con- 
crete and  forceful  illustrations ;  speak  with  direct- 
ness and  great  frankness.  The  one  characteristic 
of  effective  addresses  to  groups  of  men  should  be 
complete  sincerity.    No  artifice  is  tolerable. 

MEN'S  MEETING,  I 
Being  a  Man  is  a  Man's  Job 
"  Watch  ye,  stand  fast  in  the  faith,  quit  you  like 
men,  he  strong"  (i  Cor.  i6: 13). 
The  greatest  task  ever  given  to  any  man  is  simply 


SPECIAL  GATHEEINGS  219 

to  live  a  manly  life,  to  be  a  complete  man.  Our 
supreme  business  is  the  development  of  our  own  per- 
sonal character  so  that  it  may  please  God  and  serve 
our  generation  in  the  highest  possible  way. 

We  have  to  Fight  for  Manhood.  Character  is  not 
a  gift ;  it  is  an  achievement.  It  costs  more  to  attain 
it  than  it  does  to  secure  any  other  good  in  life.  The 
whole  world  is  marked  by  struggle.  It  begins  with 
the  lowest  forms  of  life  and  ends  with  the  endeavour 
to  attain  a  Christlike  character.  Therefore  this  is 
not  an  exception  in  the  order  of  life.  Our  own  mo- 
tives are  weak  and  unworthy ;  outward  circumstances 
drag  us  down.  Obstacles  would  force  us  to  yield 
the  fight;  our  friends  sometimes  lose  faith  in  us. 
This  is  the  fight  before  us. 

Our  Determination  to  Win  is  Half  the  Battle. 
The  text  is  a  command  addressed  to  the  will  of  the 
individual.  It  recognizes  the  fact  that  determination 
is  a  large  factor  in  the  fight.  Therefore  we  are  told 
that  we  must  determine  to  win  our  battle  for  Chris- 
tian character.  The  decision  to  press  the  fight  to 
the  end  is  the  greatest  single  assurance  of  victory. 
Without  it  the  fight  is  lost  at  the  outset.  Our  de- 
cision must  be  positive  and  tenacious.  We  must  hold 
to  the  decision  to  win  by  God's  help  in  spite  of  every 
circumstance  and  failure  that  would  divert  or  dis- 
hearten us. 

Manly  Action  is  a  Warrant  of  Victory.  Not  only 
are  we  summoned  to  firm  decision  by  the  text,  but  we 
are  encouraged  to  definite  and  manly  action  to 
achieve  success.  The  problem  must  be  worked  at 
with  specific  and  constant  action.    To  will  is  not 


220  EVANGELISTIC  PEEAOHING 

enough ;  we  must  carry  out  the  decision  in  a  specific 
program  of  service.  Duties  must  be  assumed  and 
responsibiHties  accepted.  Hardships  must  be  met. 
Surrender  of  that  which  we  would  Uke  to  enjoy  must 
be  often  made.  Ridicule  must  sometimes  be  experi- 
enced. Patience  is  also  necessary.  It  is  a  man's 
fight  and  a  man's  achievement.  This  fact  makes 
the  challenge  of  Christ  all  the  more  attractive.  We 
are  not  offered  a  primrose  path  and  something  for 
nothing.    We  are  summoned  to  hard  fighting. 


MEN'S  MEETING,  II 
Christ  the  Helper  of  Men 

"  For  verily  not  to  angels  doth  he  give  help,  hut  he 
giveth  help  to  the  seed  of  Abraham"  (Heb.  2:  i6). 

Note  the  tendency  to  remove  Jesus  from  our  real 
human  world.  We  think  of  Christ  in  some  far-off 
heaven.  But  Christ  is  not  remote  from  life.  He  is 
in  the  midst  of  our  daily,  common  life.  Study  the 
areas  of  our  daily  needs  where  Christ  is  present  to 
help  us. 

In  our  Moral  Struggle.  We  recall  the  fact  that 
there  is  an  inevitable  and  fierce  struggle  on  for  char- 
acter. We  cannot  win  this  fight  alone.  It  is  the 
testimony  of  millions  of  men  and  women  since  the 
beginnings  of  Christian  history  that  Christ  does 
actually  bring  fresh  resources  to  the  soul  in  its 
struggle  and  turns  the  tide  of  battle  in  favour  of 
goodness  and  truth  in  the  conflict  with  sin.  Through 
trust  and  prayer  the  ener^^^  arrives ;  our  spent  souls 


SPECIAL  GATHEEINGS  221 

may  be  given  new  courage  and  power.  Christ  is  our 
helper  when  the  hour  of  crisis  comes. 

In  Determining  the  Meaning  and  Worth  of  Life. 
It  is  not  easy  to  be  sure  either  what  the  world  means 
or  what  life  is  worth.  In  hours  of  dismay  we  some- 
times question  seriously  whether  the  order  of  life  is 
good  or  whether  living  is  worth  while.  But  Christ 
has  solved  this  problem.  His  own  life  is  the  answer 
to  the  question.  Our  human  life  is  the  opportunity 
for  God's  love  and  wisdom  to  find  its  results  achieved 
through  human  cooperation.  This  world  is  the  place 
in  which  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  to  be  realized.  So, 
however  long  or  short  our  life  may  be,  it  is  good  and 
glorious  to  live. 

In  ovir  Fear  of  Failure  and  Death.  Men  always 
have  lived  under  the  grim  foreboding  lest  somehow 
God's  plans  should  be  thwarted.  Death  is  a  for- 
bidding experience  at  best.  On  both  these  points 
Christ  brings  us  practical  help.  We  feel  sure  that 
sometime  God  will  bring  His  Kingdom  into  realiza- 
tion since  the  eternal  life  is  assured  through  Christ. 
We  need  not  fear  death  since  we  have  seen  that  it 
is  robbed  of  its  terror  in  the  case  of  Jesus.  We 
know  that  death  Is  an  episode  in  the  continuous  life 
of  the  spirit  and  because  Christ  lives  we  shall  live 
also. 

MEN^S  MEETING,  III 
The  Flame  of  New  Life 
"  Stir  up  the  gift  of  God  that  is  in  thee  "  (2  Tim. 
1:6). 
The  figure  in  the  Greek  word  is  vivid  and  pictur- 


222  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

esque.  It  means  to  fan  and  to  kindle  into  flame  liv- 
ing embers.  So  the  text  really  reads:  Kindle  into 
flame  the  smouldering  life  of  the  soul. 

The  Flame  of  our  Life  often  Burns  out.  Our 
early  enthusiasms  wear  away  and  leave  us;  the 
freshness  of  our  dreams  often  fades.  The  abrasion 
of  daily  work  is  hard  on  the  finer  texture  of  the 
spirit.  Selfish  ambitions  invade  our  purposes  and 
the  nobler  visions  of  former  days  wane.  Unless  we 
are  constantly  on  the  watch  we  see  the  flame  dwindle 
and  finally  even  the  glow  cease  in  the  embers.  We 
must  stir  and  fan  the  coals  and  kindle  the  spark  to 
flame. 

The  Spark  of  Life  is  still  there.  In  spite  of  all 
the  loss  of  our  higher  ideals,  there  still  remain  the 
glowing  coals  of  aspiration  and  yearning  in  our 
souls.  In  our  deepest  and  sincerest  moments  we 
know  that  we  are  the  children  of  the  Eternal.  We 
are  sure  that  we  are  built  too  large  for  earth.  We 
cannot  be  wholly  satisfied  either  with  our  highest 
human  attainment  or  the  best  of  our  earthly  suc- 
cesses. We  want  something  more.  We  yearn  for 
higher  levels  of  life  and  our  spirit  goes  out  in  a 
quest  for  God.  All  these  are  indications  of  the 
smouldering  sparks  of  the  new  life.  We  must  kindle 
them. 

The  Live  Coals  must  he  Fanned  into  Flame,  How 
can  this  be  done?  We  must  get  into  touch  with  new 
truths  that  have  power  to  inspire  and  strengthen  the 
soul.  We  can  find  these  in  Christ.  We  must  sec 
the  world  in  finer  and  holier  aspects.  This  we  can 
do  when  we  look  at  it  through  the  eyes  of  Christ. 


SPECIAL  GATHEEINGS  223 

We  must  discover  .new  duties  and  get  into  touch 
with  new  comrades.  These  are  furnished  to  us 
when  we  come  into  vital  relations  with  Christ. 
Nothing  causes  our  life  to  break  into  flame  more 
quickly  than  to  confront  it  with  great  opportunities 
for  service.  When  we  sense  a  big  task  for  Christ 
we  feel  that  there  is  something  in  us  responding  to 
it.  Just  this  task  Christ  presents  to  us  now.  It  is 
nothing  less  than  the  redemption  of  the  whole  world, 
including  ourselves,  from  sin  into  a  new  life  of  love 
and  joy  and  peace.  That  is  the  biggest  program 
that  ever  was  set  before  American  men.  We  must 
meet  it, 

MEN'S  MEETING,  IV 
Wind  for  Seed:  Whirlwinds  for  Harvest 

"For  they  sow  the  wind,  and  they  shall  reap  the 
whirlwind"  (Hos.  8:7). 

Note  the  principle,  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that 
shall  he  also  reap.  The  seed  sown  in  the  field  and 
the  harvest  reaped  from  it  are  identical  in  kind. 
This  is  universal  law.  Study  some  of  its  applica- 
tions : 

Evil  Seed.  In  this  include  some  of  the  sinful  pur- 
poses and  actions  that  are  characteristic  of  Amer- 
ican men  to-day. 

Violent  Passion.  Surrender  of  our  self-control 
and  yielding  to  outbreaks  of  temper  lea'd  at  last  to 
fury  and  violence,  with  rash  and  profane  speech. 
We  must  learn  to  control  ourselves. 

Coarse  and  Unclean  Ideas,  Language,  Stories. 
Vulgar  jests,  stories  with  double  meaning,  dwelling 


224  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

on  unclean  subjects  finally  and  often  quickly  bring 
the  habit  of  vicious  thought  and  action.  In  the  end 
whirlwinds  of  sensual  emotion  sweep  over  and  over- 
whelm us. 

Small  Dishonesties.  The  temptation  to  indulge 
in  small  dishonesties,  the  result  of  which  will  ac- 
crue to  our  immediate  advantage,  crowd  upon  us. 
We  are  certain  in  our  minds  that  we  never  shall  be 
caught.  But  one  deception  demands  another  and 
still  greater  fraud;  so  before  we  know  it  we  are 
hopelessly  involved  in  ruin. 

Doubt  of  God's  Love  and  Goodness.  We  begin 
sometimes  by  yielding  to  the  doubts  that  arise  when 
we  study  modern  science  or  attempt  to  explain  all 
the  experiences  of  religion.  Slowly  we  give  up  the 
faith  of  a  simple,  childlike  heart ;  prayer  and  church 
relationships  are  slowly  abandoned.  Finally  we  do 
not  make  Christ  the  chief  factor  in  our  environment. 
The  whirlwinds  of  doubt  and  denial  sweep  over  us. 

Good  Seed.  The  subject  must  not  be  left  in  this 
negative  condition.  It  is  equally  true  that  whoever 
sows  the  good  seed  of  self-control,  purity,  honour, 
reverence,  faith,  love  will  reap  an  abundant  harvest, 
also  of  the  same  kind.  The  text  is  one  of  encour- 
agement as  well  as  of  warning.  The  way  to  be 
happy  and  prosperous  is  to  change  the  kind  of  seed 
we  are  sowing. 

For  Women's  Meetings 
During  the  course  of  the  Mission  there  will  be 
several   occasions   on   which    addresses   must   be 
given  to  meetings  for  women.     In  choosing  the 


SPECIAL  GATHBEINGS  225 

subjects  for  these  we  have  especially  in  mind  those 
problems  and  experiences  of  the  Christian  life  that 
are  appropriate  or  peculiar  to  women.  It  is  not 
difficult  to  determine  at  least  some  of  these  and  to 
speak  of  them. 

There  are  certain  reactions  that  are  especially 
pleasant  in  addressing  groups  of  women.  They 
are  generally  quite  eager  listeners  and  their  re- 
sponse is  often  more  apparent  than  in  the  case  of 
men.  Perhaps  they  do  not  think  so  deeply  when 
they  give  themselves  to  a  religious  problem  or  sub- 
ject; but  they  at  least  present  the  appearance  of 
more  general  thought  fulness  than  will  often  be  ex- 
perienced in  speaking  to  men. 

We  have  generally  found  that  the  opportunity 
for  conversation  following  the  meetings  is  readily 
given  by  women,  either  singly  or  in  small  groups. 
Women  know  how  to  state  their  difficulties  clearly ; 
they  are  quick  to  respond  to  a  suggestion  of  spiri- 
tual direction. 

The  following  subjects  are  suggestive  of  others 
that  will  quickly  come  to  a  preacher's  mind  and 
grow  out  of  his  experience  in  evangelistic  preach- 
ing. 

WOMEN'S  MEETING,  I 

The  Treasury  of  a  Mother's  Heart 
"  But  Mary  kept  all  these  sayings,  pondering  them 

in  her  heart"  (Luke  2:  19). 

The  great  men  probably  soon  forgot  all  about  what 

had  taken  place;  but  Mary  remembered  and  laid  up 


226  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

each  reference  and  suggestion  in  the  treasury  of 
her  heart. 

The  Sayings.  They  indicated  wonderful  things  in 
store  for  the  child.  He  was  a  helpless  baby;  but 
there  were  such  great  promises  and  prophecies 
wrapped  up  in  Him  that  one  hardly  dared  to  dream 
of  what  would  unfold  in  time.  Every  little  life 
is  a  prophecy  of  great  achievements.  We  must 
dare  to  believe  great  things  for  our  children.  When 
we  expect  much  from  them  they  tend  to  rise  to  the 
level  of  our  ideals  and  desires. 

The  Memory.  Selfishness  soon  forgets;  but  love 
always  remembers.  The  tablets  of  memory  are 
made  sensitive  and  the  images  impressed  upon  them 
are  fixed  by  affection.  So  love  is  tenacious.  We 
must  remember  the  good  and  try  to  forget  the  bad. 
In  the  end  it  is  the  kind  and  the  right  that  remains 
in  our  minds.  Try  to  give  loving  memories  to 
others  to  keep  of  you.  Try  to  find  the  good  and  the 
loving  to  keep  in  your  memories  of  others. 

The  Pondering.  Mary  went  over  the  details 
again  and  again.  Each  time  some  new  beauty  and 
suggestion  flashed  forth.  That  is  the  result  of 
brooding  on  beautiful  things.  When  life  was  full 
of  hard  work,  Mary  went  back  in  her  memory  and 
lived  over  the  blessed  experiences  of  those  wonder- 
ful days.  She  heard  the  music  about  which  the 
shepherds  had  told  her  above  all  the  monotony  of 
her  daily  toil.  It  is  a  blessed  thing  to  have  a  glori- 
ous memory  and  a  great  ideal  to  stand  by  us  while 
we  work.  It  lifts  us  above  the  monotony  and  the 
complaint  of  dreary  days. 


SPECIAL  GATHERINGS  227 

The  Result.  It  was  twofold.  It  gave  Mary  a 
new  view  of  life  and  filled  dull  days  with  beauty. 
It  set  a  song  going  in  her  soul.  And  it  cast  a  glory 
around  Jesus  that  made  His  hfe  more  wonderful 
in  her  eyes.  It  made  her  expect  more  of  Him ;  and 
He  inevitably  rose  to  meet  the  expectation.  We  are 
lifted  by  the  hopes  and  ambitions  that  others  cherish 
for  us.  Even  if  He  never  defined  the  matter  to 
Himself,  Jesus  knew  that  He  was  destined  to  a 
great  character  by  His  mother's  ideals.  He  could 
not  fail  her.     He  did  not 

WOMEN'S  MEETING,  II 
Our  Utmost 

"She  hath  done  what  she  could"  (Mark  14:8). 

In  the  house  of  Simon  of  Bethany  a  woman 
anointed  Jesus  at  the  cost  of  her  chief  treasure. 
She  did  what  she  could  for  Christ.  Have  we  done 
as  much? 

With  our  Money  and  Material.  The  precious 
nard  was  expensive;  the  woman  had  saved  it  for 
a  long  time.  But  she  never  hesitated;  she  gave  it 
all  to  Christ.  Are  we  ready  to  sacrifice  our  posses- 
sions for  the  Kingdom?  Are  we  honest  and  ac- 
curate stewards  of  God's  gifts? 

With  our  Time.  "  Time  is  money."  Every  min- 
ute is  valuable  in  our  crowded  days.  Some  are 
spendthrifts  of  their  time;  others,  misers.  We  must 
give  time  every  day  to  Christ.  How  much  did  we 
spend  yesterday  for  Him? 

With  our  Thoughts.  The  world  needs  clear  and 
honest    thinking.     Christians    must    be    leaders    in 


228  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

thinking  out  the  problems  of  the  day.  We  must 
also  think  about  Christ  and  the  meaning  of  His 
message  for  the  whole  of  life.  What  mental  con- 
tribution are  we  making  to  the  Kingdom  of  God? 

With  our  Love.  The  world  is  hungrier  for  love 
than  it  is  for  bread.  We  cannot  command  others 
to  come  to  Christ.  The  Kingdom  of  God  cannot  be 
brought  into  being  by  violence.  We  must  love  men 
to  Christ.  Good  will  alone  will  make  a  new  world. 
The  Master  has  first  claim  on  our  loyalty  and  love. 
Are  we  giving  these  to  Him? 

With  our  Personal  Influence.  Every  one  pos- 
sesses a  certain  power  over  his  comrades  which  is 
sometimes  called  personal  *'  magnetism."  It  is  the 
ability  to  sway  the  lives  of  others  to  higher  or  lower 
levels.  We  ceaselessly  and  for  the  most  part  con- 
stantly influence  each  other.  Are  we  devoting  this 
wonderful  power  fully  to  Christ? 

With  our  Prayer,  Aspiration  and  Spiritual 
Energy.  We  are  endowed  with  all  these  gifts  by 
God.  The  world  needs  the  uplifting  power  of  these 
energies.  Our  comrades  must  have  our  prayer. 
We  must  aspire  to  higher  levels  ourselves  and  help 
others  attain  them.  Our  supreme  gift  to  our  gen- 
eration is  ourselves.  Such  a  gift  honours  Christ. 
Are  we  devoting  these  highest  powers  to  Him? 


WOMEN'S  MEETING,  III 
Leaking  Cisterns 
**  For  my  people  have  committed  two  evils:  they 
have  forsaken  me,  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  arid 


SPECIAL  GATHEEINGS  229 

hewed  them  out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns,  that  can 
hold  no  water"  (Jer.  2:  13). 

The  broken  cisterns  are  a  symbol  of  a  human  life 
that  leaves  out  Christ;  the  spring  of  running  water 
is  the  symbol  of  a  life  in  which  Christ  is  given  the 
first  place. 

The  Leaking  Cisterns.  These  are  the  selfish  am- 
bitions, the  lower  purposes,  the  passing  pleasures 
and  talk  with  which  we  tend  to  fill  our  lives.  We 
work  hard  for  them.  We  "hew  them  out."  Such 
a  life  costs  labour.  "  It  is  hard  work  to  be  tough." 
Then  the  cisterns  leak  after  we  have  worked  hard  to 
hew  them  out.  It  is  a  vivid  figure  of  the  way  in 
which  all  the  material  side  of  life  fails  to  satisfy 
the  deepest  needs  of  the  soul.  In  the  mad  rush  for 
pleasure  we  go  on  stimulating  the  jaded  senses  until 
at  last  there  is  no  excitement  quite  keen  enough. 
The  whole  effort  fails.  Our  own  self  is  not  a  big 
enough  object  on  which  to  spend  our  lives.  If  we 
start  out  simply  to  be  comfortable  we  quickly  come 
to  the  place  where  nothing  makes  us  quite  com- 
fortable. The  cistern  is  leaking  again.  If  we  try 
to  make  money  we  are  never  quite  satisfied  with 
the  pace ;  we  want  more. 

The  Fountain  of  Life.  Over  against  this  symbol 
we  set  the  thought  of  God  as  the  Giver  of  life.  It 
is  not  something  that  we  work  for;  it  is  something 
that  is  given  to  us.  God  does  not  work  for  wages; 
neither  do  we  earn  His  bounty.  Then  the  spring 
is  constantly  flowing.  There  is  no  end  to  the  good- 
ness of  God.  It  is  life-giving.  We  could  not  live 
without  water.    It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the 


230  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

keeping  up  of  life.  God  is  necessary.  The  spirit 
fails  without  Him.  We  are  trying  to  keep  up  life 
on  all  kinds  of  food  and  exercise;  try  Christ  and 
the  service  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  It  will  not 
fail.  This  life  is  pure  and  beautiful,  like  the  run- 
ning spring.  Stagnant  waters  grow  putrid;  running 
streams  are  fresh  and  fair.  They  bless  all  the  land 
through  which  they  flow.  This  also  is  a  symbol  of 
Christ  and  the  service  and  character  which  He  cre- 
ates. Dig  no  longer  on  a  leaking  cistern;  drink  of 
the  water  of  life. 


WOMEN'S  MEETING,  IV 
The  Water  Jar  by  the  Well  Curb 

"  So  the  woman  left  her  waterpot,  and  went  away 
into  the  city"  (John  4:28). 

A  woman  came  from  the  village  to  Jacob's  well  to 
fill  her  heavy  jar  with  water  and  carry  it  home  for 
her  house  work ;  but  when  she  met  Jesus,  she  gained 
such  a  vision  of  truth  that  she  left  her  waterpot 
and  ran  to  the  village  to  share  the  good  news  with 
her  people;  she  probably  came  back  later  and  took 
up  the  old  burden;  but  she  carried  her  load  in  a 
new  spirit. 

The  Waterpot,  an  old  Burden.  Woman's  work 
is  never  done.  There  is  no  end  to  housekeeping. 
Day  after  day  the  woman  carried  the  heavy  jar. 
The  song  died  from  her  lips  and  the  colour  faded 
from  her  cheeks.  She  felt  no  high  joy  to  help  her 
sustain  the  pressure  of  the  load.  She  could  not 
sing,  Blessed  be  drudgery;  for  there  was  no  up- 


SPECIAL  GATHEEINGS  231 

lifting  spirit  in  her  heart.  Hard  and  unchanging 
work  kills  in  time  if  there  is  no  relief. 

The  Good  News.  At  the  well  this  woman  found 
Christ.  He  was  kind  and  firm  and  assuring.  He 
met  all  the  secret  yearnings  of  her  soul.  He  was 
just  the  kind  of  a  Master  that  her  spirit  had  craved 
through  all  the  dreary  years.  He  had  told  her  the 
truth.  He  had  been  willing  to  be  her  Friend.  She 
could  do  nothing  less  than  hurry  up  to  the  town  and 
tell  every  one  that  she  had  found  the  Christ.  It 
was  such  a  wonderful  discovery!  Now  there  was 
something  to  work  for.  Now  there  was  a  new  life 
possible. 

The  Old  Water  pot  and  the  New  Song.  After  a 
little  time  she  took  up  her  housekeeping  as  usual. 
Daily  she  went  to  the  well  and  lifted  the  heavy 
bucket;  daily  she  filled  her  jar  and  carried  it  up  to 
her  house.  But  it  was  not  so  heavy  any  more.  She 
had  found  Someone  who  said  that  His  burden  was 
light.  And  so  it  proved.  To  be  a  Christian  does 
not  mean  to  he  released  from  labour.  It  does  not 
mean,  necessarily,  to  have  even  an  easier  or  a  dif- 
ferent job.  But  it  means  to  have  a  new  faith  and 
courage  with  which  to  do  the  old  work.  Christ 
honours  us  most  when  He  sets  us  to  doing  the 
familiar  work  in  His  spirit  and  joy.  Just  as  a 
young  mother  can  do  work  that  she  never  dreamed 
possible  when  it  is  for  her  child ;  so  we  can  take  up 
services  that  seemed  impossible  when  we  do  it  for 
Christ,  who  has  done  so  much  for  us.  Christians 
sing  while  they  work.  Underneath  them  is  the  sus- 
taining strength  of  Christ's  mighty  love  and  power. 


232  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

Bible  Talks 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  better  name  for  that 
which  we  have  in  mind.  Mr.  Moody  used  to  call 
them  *'  Bible  Readings."  That  may  be  a  better 
term.  What  we  have  in  mind  is  not  precisely  Ex- 
pository Sermons,  for  a  sermon  is  more  formal 
and  is  given  generally  as  a  part  of  an  order  of 
worship,  which  adds  to  it  a  certain  stateliness. 
The  address  which  we  are  describing  is  less  formal. 
It  may  often  be  interrupted  by  question  and  an- 
swer. It  is  adapted  to  the  simple  assemblies  that 
gather  in  an  evangelistic  Mission. 

The  great  value  in  these  addresses  lies  in  the  fact 
that  they  help  bring  the  Bible  back  to  the  lives  of 
the  people.  The  Bible  is  our  most  praised  and  most 
neglected  book.  Christians  are  constantly  told  that 
they  should  read  and  study  it;  but,  in  spite  of  all 
the  effort  that  is  put  into  the  Sunday  Schools,  the 
real  study  of  the  Bible  is  neglected  in  a  shameful 
degree  among  Christian  people. 

The  Bible  is  the  most  interesting  book  in  the 
world.  If  it  is  read  and  studied  honestly  it  yields 
such  results  in  life  and  character  as  come  from  no 
other  source.  People  love  to  hear  it  interpreted. 
When  they  are  guided  in  the  right  way  they  will 
give  time  to  it  and  will  enrich  their  experience  from 
it 

One  fruitful  method  in  evangelistic  preaching  is 
to  read  and  comment  upon  the  Bible  in  public  meet- 
ings in  such  a  way  that  the  Bible  will  appear  in  its 


SPECIAL  GATHEEINGS  233 

true  light  as  a  principal  factor  in  the  development 
of  the  Christian  life.  It  is  not  only  necessary  to 
do  this  in  order  that  the  truths  in  the  Bible  may 
be  clarified  and  pressed  upon  the  attention  of  the 
people,  but  also  in  order  to  show  by  the  addresses 
how  the  Bible  may  be  interpreted  and  used.  The 
method  of  the  talks  is  quite  as  important  as  their 
substance. 

In  giving  such  talks  it  is  necessary  to  be  pictorial, 
graphic  and  vivid  in  style.  The  imagination  must 
be  used.  Let  the  preacher  dwell  upon  the  scene 
until  it  is  so  clear  in  his  mind  that  he  sees  every 
person  moving  through  the  scene  and  catches  every 
detail  plainly.  Use  pictures  and  travels  and  de- 
scriptions of  all  kinds  to  make  the  events  in  the 
Bible  narratives  actual  and  moving.  Do  not  be 
afraid  of  the  dramatic.  The  Bible  is  preeminently 
a  dramatic  book.  Romance  is  in  it,  and  tragedy 
and  comedy.  The  characters  are  brilliant  with 
human  interest  and  value.  Get  them  out  of  the 
past  and  into  the  living  present  by  the  use  of  your 
imagination.  Then  represent  them  with  loving 
pictorial  earnestness. 


BIBLE  TALK,  I 

Religion  in  Action 

This  is  an  interpretation  of  Micah  6,  especially 

of  verse  8 :  "He  hath  showed  thee;,  O  man,  what 

is  good ;  and  what  doth  Jehovah  require  of  thee,  but 


234  EVANGELISTIC  PEEACHING 

to  do  justly,  and  to  love  kindness,  and  to  walk 
humbly  with  thy  God  ?  " 

Huxley  said  concerning  the  ideal  of  religion  con- 
tained in  this  chapter:  "A  perfect  ideal  of  religion! 
A  conception  of  religion  which  appears  to  me  as 
wonderful  an  inspiration  of  genius  as  the  art  of 
Phidias  or  the  science  of  Aristotle." 

The  Ceremonial  Conception  of  Religion  and  its 
Failure.  This  does  not  mean  that  there  is  no  place 
in  religion  for  the  ceremony  and  the  sacrament. 
There  is  a  great  and  essential  part  for  them  to  per- 
form in  the  expression  of  religion.  But  they  are 
not  able  alone  to  give  utterance  to  the  deepest  im- 
pulses of  religion.  They  can  do  their  part;  but  not 
all.  The  danger  is  that  the  ceremonies  will  become 
simply  an  end  in  themselves  and  therefore  become 
a  menace  to  religion  instead  of  a  help.  "  To  say 
our  prayers  is  not  to  pray."  The  form  must  be 
constantly  vitalized  by  the  spirit  or  it  is  worse  than 
useless. 

The  Vital  Conception  of  Religion  and  its  Satisfac- 
tion, Religion  must  come  into  practical  and  social 
expression.  It  must  add  social  action  to  ceremonial 
expression.  It  must  take  the  beautiful  form  and 
fill  it  with  beneficent  service. 

Christianity  consists  in  doing  Justice.  Nothing 
can  take  the  place  of  righteous  living.  The  per- 
formance of  ceremonies  is  not  a  substitute  for  the 
most  rigid  justice.  The  ritual  is  justified  by  the 
kind  of  life  it  produces.  It  is  folly  to  repeat  a  creed 
in  public  worship  declaring  that  we  believe  in  God 
the  Father  Almighty  if  we  go  out  and  treat  our 


SPECIAL  GATHEEING8  235 

fellow  men  as  if  there  were  no  God.  At  that  mo- 
ment we  have  become  practical  atheists. 

Christianity  consists  in  a  loving  life.  To  love 
kindness  means  to  take  hold  practically  and  do  some- 
thing to  set  the  hatreds  and  the  sufferings  of  the 
world  right.  Misery  is  so  abundant  that  all  the 
energies  of  the  Christian  people  are  called  for  to  set 
them  right.  Especially  is  this  true  as  we  set  about 
to  repair  the  damage  of  war. 

Christianity  consists  in  a  reverent  relation  of 
loyalty  to  God.  To  walk  humbly  does  not  mean  to 
cringe  and  fear;  it  means  to  bear  ourselves  nobly 
and  to  share  the  very  nature  and  joy  of  God.  It 
is  the  life  of  fellowship  and  power. 

BIBLE  TALK,  II 
A  Song  of  Good  Courage 

This  is  a  study  of  Psalms  42  and  43  for  the  par- 
ticular purpose  of  seeing  the  way  in  which  the  dis- 
couraged soul  wins  its  victory  over  despair  through 
its  faith  in  God.  We  first  study  the  structure  of 
the  poem.  It  consists  of  three  stanzas  each  fol- 
lowed by  a  chorus.  Each  stanza  is  a  monologue. 
The  lower  or  disheartened  soul  speaks  in  the  mono- 
logue. The  higher  or  encouraging  soul  tries  to 
bring  help  and  hope  to  the  disheartened  in  the 
chorus.  There  is  a  most  interesting  parallel  in 
Tennyson's  The  Two  Voices, 

Stanza  i.  This  shows  the  soul  in  the  very  depths 
of  depression.  Tears  are  its  food.  The  taunts  of 
its  enemies  ring  in  the  gloomy  spirit's  ears.  Even 
the  memory  of  happier  days  and  former  blessed  ex- 


236  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

periences  becomes  an  instrument  of  torture.  Yet  it 
is  a  faint  suggestion  of  comfort  and  peace,  dimly 
heard  among  the  disheartening  voices. 

Chorus  I,  The  nobler  soul  commands  the  de- 
pressed soul  to  hope  in  God,  affirming  that  it  surely 
will  finally  triumph  through  its  resolute  faith.  This 
is  a  positive,  glad  and  most  confident  note  of  cheer. 

Stanza  2.  In  this  stanza  the  two  moods  of  hope 
and  fear  are  nearly  balanced.  Despair  has  held  the 
field  almost  wholly  in  stanza  i.  Now  the  balance 
is  gradually  shifting.  Neither  quite  wins  over  the 
other ;  but  hope  has  gained  so  much  that  it  begins  to 
be  sure  that  it  will  win  in  the  end.  There  is  no 
effort  to  deny  the  despair;  it  is  like  the  waterfalls 
and  the  engulfing  billows.  Yet  the  love  of  God  is 
greater  than  all  these.  God  is  the  rock  on  which  the 
soul  rests,  even  if  it  seems  for  the  moment  as  if  he 
had  failed. 

Chorus  2.  Once  more  the  braver  soul  affirms  the 
wisdom  and  love  of  God  and  appeals  for  the  do- 
minion of  courage. 

Stanza  j.  We  now  hear  the  song  of  good  cour- 
age fully  sung.  Hope  has  conquered  fear.  It 
rings  like  a  great  bell,  proclaiming  the  victory.  God 
is  the  giver  of  strength.  The  confident  soul  will 
go  singing  back  to  the  old  experience  that  was  once 
so  beautiful.  Hope  has  insisted  upon  the  reality 
of  the  divine  love  and  wisdom  and  so  has  con- 
quered. There  will  be  no  more  despair.  God  is  in 
His  heaven  and  the  world  cannot  be  lost  in  gloom. 

Chorus  J.  Finally  God  is  acclaimed  again  as  one 
who  will  save  those  who  keep  faith  in  Him, 


SPECIAL  GATHEBINGS  237 

BIBLE  TALK,  III 

The  Vision  and  Mission  of  Life 
This  is  a  study  of  Isaiah  6.  It  was  an  experience 
from  the  Hfe  of  a  young  man.  The  hour  when  one 
sees  the  vision  of  hfe  and  hears  the  call  to  service 
is  a  supreme  experience.  We  shall  seek  to  give 
modern  meaning  to  this  old  record. 

1.  A  Young  Man's  Vision  of  God.  It  can  be 
described  only  dimly;  but  it  was  vivid  and  mighty 
as  it  came  to  him. 

A.  In  a  Time  of  Upheaval  and  Crisis.  The 
death  of  an  Oriental  despot  was  a  tremendous 
event.  Young  Isaiah  saw  the  ostentatious  funeral; 
he  heard  all  the  expressions  of  sorrow  and  fear; 
but  he  saw  also  the  Lord. 

B.  The  Vision  of  Holiness.  It  was  a  vision  of 
splendour  and  majesty;  also  a  vision  of  power.  Su- 
premely, a  vision  of  holiness,  perfection,  complete 
moral  beauty.  This  was  the  real  grandeur  that 
abased  while  it  lifted  the  young  man. 

C.  The  Resultant  Vision  of  Sin.  Out  of  the 
vision  of  God's  holiness  grew  the  inevitable  convic- 
tion of  human  sin.  We  never  know  how  weak  or 
wicked  we  are  until  we  see  ourselves  in  the  light 
of  God's  holy  strength.  Then  we  are  driven  to 
penitence  and  the  plea  for  pardon. 

2.  A  Young  Man's  Cleansing,  Call  and  Conse- 
cration. 

A.  The  Cleansing  Fire.  It  stands  for  the  purga- 
tion of  life.  Evil  must  be  stripped  away  In  order 
that  the  mission  of  life  may  be  carried  out.    We 


238  EVANGELISTIC  PREACHING 

cannot  do  God's  will  when  we  are  crippled  by  sin. 
Only  the  pure  in  heart  see  God. 

B.  The  Call.  It  is  personal— "  whom,"  **  I," 
"  us."  It  is  urgent.  It  is  specific — "  go."  There 
is  no  guesswork  about  either  the  need  or  the  work. 
They  are  on  every  side. 

C.  The  Answer.  It  was  immediate.  No  time 
was  spent  in  debate.  It  was  definite  and  positive. 
It  was  cheerful;  there  was  no  rebellion  or  com- 
plaint. 

3.  A  Man's  Report  of  his  Life  Work.  The  ap- 
parent problem  in  the  passage  is  explained  by  un- 
derstanding that  here  the  mature  Isaiah  writes  the 
result  of  his  later  experience  as  if  it  were  a  specific 
item  in  his  call. 

A.  Truth  makes  Slow  Headway.  E-very  cham- 
pion and  defender  of  truth  finds  this  out.  We  can- 
not hasten  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  by 
rash  means  or  by  violence. 

B.  God's  Final  Judgments  are  Inexorable. 
There  is  no  escape  from  the  divine  program.  It 
can  be  hindered,  not  stalled. 

C.  The  Hope  in  the  Remnant.  Generally  it  is 
a  minority  that  sees  the  divine  vision  and  stands 
true.     But  one  with  God  is  a  majority. 


BIBLE  TALK,  IV 

Following  the  Ideal 
Study  Phir     ians  3.     This  is  a  tenderly  personal 
chapter  from  the  heart  of  St.  Paul.     It  Is  the  re- 
port of  his  experience  as  a  Christian,  given  largely 


SPECIAL  GATHEEINGS  239 

in  the  terms  of  explanation.  We  may  agree  or  dis- 
agree with  his  interpretation;  but  we  must  feel  the 
genuineness  of  his  report  of  his  experience. 

The  Past  (vs.  i-6).  The  invitation  to  happiness 
is  an  introduction  to  what  he  means  to  say  in  the 
chapter.  The  warning  to  avoid  enemies  leads  him 
to  review  his  own  life.  There  were  abundant 
grounds  for  his  boasting:  his  Hebrew  lineage;  a 
Pharisee;  zealous  to  the  point  of  persecuting  those 
who  differed  from  him;  so  far  as  moral  integrity 
was  concerned,  blameless  before  the  law.  That 
was  a  record  of  which  one  might  justly  be  proud. 

The  Present  (vs.  7-11).  A  wholly  new  idea  of 
life  has  become  his.  Instead  of  trusting  to  the  law 
and  obedience  to  it  in  order  to  achieve  righteous- 
ness, he  now-  trusts  Christ.  A  new  standing  is 
given  to  him  before  God.  He  becomes  righteous, 
not  because  he  has  achieved  a  character  by  obedi- 
ence to  law,  but  because  he  has  been  granted  a  new 
relationship  to  God  through  his  faith  in  Christ.  It 
is  all  so  different  that  it  cannot  be  described  in  any 
other  way  than  a  new  life  or  a  new  creation.  Christ 
has  laid  hold  on  him  and  he  has  laid  hold  on  Christ. 
In  that  mutual  grasp  his  soul  wins  a  new  life. 

The  Future  (vs.  12-21).  It  is  like  a  foot-race 
in  the  great  stadium;  there  is  a  goal  ahead,  toward 
which  the  runner  presses  with  every  nerve  tense. 
He  lets  nothing  divert  him  from  that  one  objective, 
on  which  he  has  fixed  his  gaze.  His  citizenship  is 
not  merely  on  earth;  it  is  also  in  heaven.  He  is 
living  in  two  worlds  at  a  time,  in  one  of  which  he 
keeps  up  his  strenuous  pace  and  in  the  other  of 


240  BVANGELISTrC  PEEACHING 

which  dwell  his  hopes  and  from  which  he  looks  for 
the  final  fulfilment  of  his  great  desires.  He  dares 
to  make  this  attitude  of  such  moment  that  he  can 
commend  it  to  others  as  one  to  follow.  To  him  the 
final  achievement  is  safe  and  sure  because  he  has 
committed  himself  to  Christ  in  such  a  complete 
abandonment  of  devotion  that  he  trusts  Him  fully 
to  bring  the  desire  of  his  heart  to  pass. 


Pfinttd  in  the  United  States  of  Amtric* 


Date  Due 

F  9-'39^ 

P  28'3f 

,  ■*•■■■■ 

mm^. 

ii^  s 

th 

jiff     €\  'm       *rw\ 

•f 

H  xi  ^ 

S  4     t» 

S   19    3a 

'ASH  1  51 

m 

'®  1/    ^ 

puui^    '  0 

«re    •4« 

r:r  1 9  '40 

M"  '  ' 

AMI  '41 

.A  6^ 

fd 

JI  T  2  -4 

% 

^.   -. 

i-AGtl? 

'■} 

f 

B  -  Evang 


listic 


